Bangladesh bowl first in 2nd T20, aiming to seal series

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto once again won the all important toss and without any hesitation sent New Zealand to bat first in the second T20 game as his side aims to seal the three-match series at Bay Oval in Maunt Maunganui on Friday.

The Tigers lead the series 1-0 following its five-wicket victory in the first match.

But they received a blow ahead of the match when Liton Das who made match-winning 42 not out, was ruled out of the series with hamstring injury.

Soumya Sarkar also sustained an injury on his right hand while taking a catch in the first match but the X-ray revealed no damage. He however made it to the second match despite the pain.

Liton meanwhile was replaced by Shamim Patwari for Bangladesh's only change from the first game.

New Zealand, aiming to level the series, remained unchanged.

Bangladesh have showed its growth in this format lately, in which they were traditionally vulnerable, by sweeping three-match series against T20 World Champions England at home and thereafter they beat Ireland and Afghanistan to win seven out of eight matches they played in this year.

If they win this game, they will not only confirm the series for the first time on New Zealand soil but also would seal their fourth straight series victory for the first time in their history.

Line Ups:

Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Rony Talukdar(w), Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Shamim Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner(c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, IshSodhi, Ben Sears

Source: BSS