Litton Das walked out for his 100th ODI on Monday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, where Bangladesh lost the toss, watched Tom Latham choose to bat for New Zealand, and braced for a must-win contest to keep the series alive.
Bangladesh did not get the start they wanted. The toss went against them again, just like the first match. Latham made his call quickly. He chose to bat and backed his side to set the tone once more.
Bangladesh now face a familiar script. They must chase under pressure after already slipping to a 26-run defeat in the series opener.
The hosts shuffled their pack slightly. They brought back Soumya Sarkar and left out Afif Hossain, adding experience to the top and middle order. The balance looks clear. Bangladesh stacked six batters, two spinners, and three seamers, aiming to cover all phases of the game.
New Zealand kept things simple. They stuck with the same XI, trusting the combination that already delivered once.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Tawhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana.
New Zealand XI: Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly, Will Young, Tom Latham (captain), Mohammad Abbas, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Jayden Lennox, Will O’Rourke.
