Bangladesh vs. New Zealand: Date, Live Stream, TV Info for Cricket World Cup
Bangladesh and New Zealand may have already qualified from Pool A for the quarter-finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, but there will still be plenty to play for in Friday's clash in Hamilton.
The Black Caps have already locked up the top spot in Pool A but will want to enter the knockout stages with as much momentum as possible, and a win over the Tigers would do just that.
Bangladesh sit one point behind Sri Lanka and would play defending champions India in the quarter-finals if the standings went unchanged, so beating the Black Caps would be vital to avoid a likely early exit against arguably the most in-form team on the planet.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Date: Friday, March 13
Time: 2 p.m. local time, 1 a.m. GMT
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand
TV info and live stream: Sky Sports (UK) and ESPN (U.S.) carry full coverage of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and ESPN Cricket 2015.
Preview
Bangladesh enter the match coming off a 15-run win over England after a fantastic performance from their bowlers. Mahmudulla and Mushfiqur Rahim combined for 192 runs but the rest of the batsmen failed to back up their score, leading to a total of 275.
England had a decent start to the chase before the Tigers' bowlers turned up the heat, with Rubel Hossain taking four wickets. After the match, cricket commentator Geoffrey Boycott rightfully praised the team:
The solid bowling attack was a welcome change, as Bangladesh struggled with the ball early in the tournament. In their second match—the fixture against Australia was abandoned—Sri Lanka needed just three batsmen to score 332, while the Tigers were all out for 240.
A similar performance against a healthy Black Caps team would be a disaster, but it's unclear exactly how many star players will take to the pitch on Friday.
As shared by cricket.com.au, a mysterious illness is currently plaguing the side:
Coach Mike Hesson tried to give as few details as possible regarding the disease itself and the players affected, but he did admit up to three players could miss Friday's contest:
"We've got a few guys who are a bit ill today, so hopefully they recover in time," he said.
I know at least two or three are down so we'll see how they scrub up.
If guys have got a niggle, we won't force it. But when you've got two games in 21 days, we're not going to make that one game in 21 days in terms of preparation.
If a guys are fit and still performing, then they'll get another chance.
"
Hesson ruled out resting his starters if they're healthy, but we don't know how the New Zealand team doctors will define a "niggle." For instance, captain Brendon McCullum insisted his arm was just fine after he took a nasty hit from Mitchell Starc, and while he's expected to play, it would make sense for the veteran to sit this one out, per CricketNDTV:
"#News World Cup: 'Popeye' Brendon McCullum Gets All-Clear After Mitchell Johnson Arm Ball: New Zealand captain… http://t.co/WDwtiE7tq9
— Muthu Krish (@MK_MuthuKrish) March 1, 2015"
The Black Caps squad is filled with quality batsmen capable of putting up big scores, with Kane Williamson, McCullum, Corey Anderson and Martin Guptil leading the way.
Combined with the fact New Zealand bowlers currently occupy the top three spots in the wicket-takers rankings—Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori—you'd think the Black Caps have the sheer quality to blow most teams out of the water.
Bangladesh will provide New Zealand with a stern test and the perfect preparation for the quarter-finals, but if the co-hosts' big guns play and perform up to their usual standard, expect the Black Caps to pull out another win.
Final prediction: New Zealand win
All statistics are courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
