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Having taken an unassailable lead of 3-1, Bangladesh will host New Zealand in the fifth and last T20I of the series at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Bangladesh home performances have been excellent in recent years, but they have taken the home advantage term to a new level in the last two series. After annihilating Australia by 4-1, they have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing series against New Zealand.
The Bangla Tigers were clinical in the first game of the series, bundling NZ out on 60 and chasing it down with seven wickets to spare. The second game turned out to be a thriller, with the Tom Latham-led side coming short by four runs in a 142-run chase.
The visitors made a remarkable turnaround in the third game, putting 128 on the board and then dismissing the hosts on 76. The fourth T20I saw NZ get bowled out again on 93, with Bangladesh chasing it down with six wickets to spare.
Bangladesh have been solid in the series, especially because their bowling attack has delivered consistently. And if the pitches in the UAE are on the slower side, this could be great preparation for their T20 World Cup campaign.
NZ are without their first-choice players, but they have had some positives in Will Young, Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra. The fifth T20I offers another chance for Finn Allen and Ben Sears to impress.
Key Players
Mustafizur Rahman is without a doubt the best pacer Bangladesh has produced in limited overs cricket. The Fizz can swing the ball, extract movement off the deck, bowl yorkers and deceiving variations, making him an extremely potent weapon. The 26yr old batter has picked 205 wickets in 153 T20s while conceding at 7.17 runs per over, with best figures of 5/22. In international T20s, Mustafizur has 76 scalps in 52 games at 7.48 rpo with one 5-fer and two 4-fers. The pacer has been magnificent this series, picking 3/13 in the first game and 4/12 in the fourth T20I.
Shakib Al Hasan has the claim of being the greatest player in the history of Bangladesh cricket. A genuine all-rounder who can make their side on any of the two skills. Shakib has an extraordinary record for Bangladesh, having scored 1763 runs in 88 games at an average of 22.89 while scoring at 121.41. The left-arm spinner has 106 wickets at an outstanding economy of 6.73, including a five-wicket haul and four 4-fers. The all-rounder has scored 196 runs this year and has picked 14 scalps in 12 matches.
Will Young, an exciting player from New Zealand has earned his stripes after piling on runs in domestic cricket. In his overall T20 career, Will has over 1800 runs to his name with an average of 27 while scoring at 133.74. Young has registered one hundred and 10 fifties in T20s. Batting has not been easy in this series, but Young has looked one of their better players against spin. The 28yr old batter has had scores of 5, 22, 20 and 46 in the four matches and will be the key player for the visitors in the last game.
Maharashtra-born Ajaz Patel went on to play for New Zealand, wanting to become a pace bowler, but eventually learnt the art of spin. The left arm spinner has played a few Tests for NZ, but never got an opportunity in the shortest format until this series. He has done an excellent job for the visitors on pitches made for spinners, picking eight scalps in four matches at an incredible average of 6.50 runs per wicket and conceding at 3.25 runs per over.
Nasum Ahmed has started his international career in great fashion. The left-arm orthodox spinner has bowled tight lines, giving batters no room to breathe. Ahmed has taken 17 wickets in just 13 T20Is, averaging 15 runs per wicket and conceding at only 6.07 runs per over. He has been superb for the hosts this series, with the returns of 2/5, 1/17 and career-best 4/10 in three of the four games. With the kind of form he’s in, Nasum Ahmed will be a player to watch out for in the last T20I.
Prediction
New Zealand lead the scoreline between these two teams by 11 victories to three. However, the series has proved that the head to head stats don’t matter much.
New Zealand batters have struggled to put up good scores in the series. Their spinners have done well, but pace bowlers haven’t been able to make an impact. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have the batting unit to succeed on these tracks.
Their bowlers – both pacers and spinners have been exceptional. Expect the Bangla Tigers to come triumphant in the last game to complete a 4-1 series victory.
