New Zealand vs. Bangladesh: Second Test Preview

New Zealand vs. Bangladesh: Second Test Preview

New Zealand and Bangladesh are ready to face off the in the second Test of the three-match series, which will begin from Friday in Wellington. The home side are leading the series with a 1-0 score line after an innings and 52 runs win in the first Test in Hamilton. Basin Reserve in Wellington will be used as the venue for the contest, which will be hosting its 63rd Test. Highest team score of 680-8 (dec) was registered by the Black Caps in the match against India in 2014, whereas lowest team total of 42 was also registered by the home side in the match against Australia in 1946.

Therefore, the Black Caps will enter the contest full of confidence and will be looking to seal the series win with another impressive performance against the struggling visitors. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form captain Kane Williamson, veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor and dependable opener Tom Latham to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the pace trio of Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee to provide timely breakthroughs. 

On the other hand, Bangladesh was hoping for a change of luck with the change of format after lackluster performances in the limited overs contests. However, after receiving thrashing in the first Test, the visitors will have to up their game big time if they are to challenge the supremacy of the home team. In the

New Zealand and Bangladesh are ready to face off the in the second Test of the three-match series, which will begin from Friday in Wellington. The home side are leading the series with a 1-0 score line after an innings and 52 runs win in the first Test in Hamilton. Basin Reserve in Wellington will be used as the venue for the contest, which will be hosting its 63rd Test. Highest team score of 680-8 (dec) was registered by the Black Caps in the match against India in 2014, whereas lowest team total of 42 was also registered by the home side in the match against Australia in 1946.

Therefore, the Black Caps will enter the contest full of confidence and will be looking to seal the series win with another impressive performance against the struggling visitors. In the batting department, the team will be relying on in-form captain Kane Williamson, veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor and dependable opener Tom Latham to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the pace trio of Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Tim Southee to provide timely breakthroughs. 

On the other hand, Bangladesh was hoping for a change of luck with the change of format after lackluster performances in the limited overs contests. However, after receiving thrashing in the first Test, the visitors will have to up their game big time if they are to challenge the supremacy of the home team. In the batting department, Bangladesh will be relying on the like of in-form Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and captain Mahmudullah to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the onus will be on the likes of Abu Jayed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz to provide timely breakthroughs. 

Key Players: 

Kane Williamson – 10.5 Cr 

First in the list of key players features New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. The right-hander is in the form of his life and played an outstanding knock of 200 not out in the first Test, which also earned him the player of the match award. That innings was a reminder why Williamson is rated as one of the best in the world with the bat in hand, and therefore, he is the player to have in your team. While playing at the Basin Reserve, Williamson has an individual best of 242 not out, which he registered n the match against Sri Lanka in 2015. 

Tamim Iqbal – 10 Cr

Second in the list of key player features Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal. The veteran left-hander is one of the most in-form batsman for the visitors and played two responsible knocks of 126 and 74 in the first Test, but unfortunately ended on the losing side. Since the pitch at Basin Reserve is one of the best batting tracks in the country and looking at the recent form, Iqbal is definitely the player to have in your team. 

Neil Wagner – 8.5 Cr 

Last in the list of key players features New Zealand's Neil Wagner. The left-armer is one of the regulars in the five-day format for the Black Caps playing eleven, not for his skills necessarily but for his ability to give his all regardless of the circumstances or conditions. Wagner has the third-best figure in an innings of 7-39 while playing at the Basin Reserve, which shows why he might not prove to be a bad call for your team. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azeem Siddiqui
Passionate sports follower in the field of sports journalism for more than five years. Loves writing about cricket, football, and tennis.
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