New Zealand have won the toss and will bat first in their must-win Group A clash against Bangladesh in Cardiff.
The toss was delayed by 30 minutes due to a wet outfield.
This is a sensible decision if the stats in Cardiff are anything to go by. In the last four ODIs at Sophia Gardens, the teams batting first have all posted scores north of 300 and only gone on to lose once.
It is do-or-die for both teams as they are locked on a point apiece after two games. A win for either side would go a long way to securing a semi-final spot, though it all hinges on the outcome of the England vs Australia match on Saturday.
A win for England would guarantee the winner of the preceding Group A match a final-four place.
New Zealand will be hoping for better fortunes at a venue that was the scene of an 87-run defeat to England on Tuesday.
Bangladesh meanwhile, will be hoping to emulate their 2005 performance in Cardiff, where they recorded a historic win over Australia.
If they are to achieve this, opener Tamim Iqbal will most likely need to continue his rich vein of form so far this tournament, where he has recorded scores of 128 and 95. He is also just 16 runs shy of surpassing Mohammad Ashraful as Bangladesh’s top run-scorer in England with 300 runs.
The sides have met in two ODI series in the past year. The first of these was won easily by the Black Caps 3-0.
Bangladesh can take heart, however, from the fact that they beat New Zealand in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, marking their first overseas ODI victory.
Rain is forecasted for match day, though it is expected to pass by 11:00 local time.
Bangladesh 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Taskin Ahmed, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mosaddek Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur Rahman
New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Luke Ronchi (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 James Neesham, 7 Corey Anderson, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult
Photo: Getty Images
