Bangladesh and New Zealand are set to kick off a three-match ODI series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. Bangladesh aims to continue its recent strong performance in ODIs and climb closer to eighth-ranked England in the ICC ODI rankings.
New Zealand, on the other hand, faces a unique challenge as they have a depleted squad due to the absence of key players. The visitors have opted to bring in relatively inexperienced players to gain exposure in subcontinent conditions. Despite this, New Zealand will be looking to replicate their success from 2023, where they clinched a 2-0 series victory in Bangladesh after a 13-year wait for an ODI series win in the country.
In the current New Zealand squad, only Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, and Will Young have prior experience playing international cricket in Bangladesh. However, players like Nick Kelly, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Adithya Ashok, and Jayden Lennox have toured with the ‘A’ team before.
Bangladesh boasts a total of 761 ODI appearances among its players, while New Zealand has 368. Four members of the Bangladesh squad have played fewer than 10 ODIs, compared to eight players in New Zealand’s squad falling into that category.
Tom Latham leads in ODI experience with 163 matches across both squads. For Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have surpassed the 100-match mark, with Litton Das nearing 100 ODIs.
Bangladesh enters the series following consecutive 2-1 home series wins against Pakistan and West Indies, with their latest victory against Pakistan in March. On the other hand, New Zealand has remained unbeaten in their last five ODI series, with their most recent bilateral loss against Sri Lanka in November 2024.
Out of the 46 ODIs played between the two teams, New Zealand has won 34 while Bangladesh has secured 11 victories, with eight of them at home. Their last encounter was during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Rawalpindi, where New Zealand emerged victorious with a five-wicket win.
Currently, New Zealand holds the second spot in the ICC ODI rankings with 114 points, while Bangladesh sits at ninth with 79 points. Even with a 3-0 or 2-1 series win, Bangladesh will maintain their ninth position but can potentially increase their rating to 85 or 83 points, inching closer to England’s 88 points. Conversely, a 2-1 or 3-0 defeat could see them drop to 80 or 78 points, though they would still be ahead of West Indies in 10th place with 77 points.
