New Zealand Predicted Playing XI vs Bangladesh- 2nd ODI, NZ tour of BAN 2026

NZ predicted XI vs BAN [Source: AFP]

New Zealand will lock horns with Bangladesh in the second of the three-match ODI series at the Sher-E-Bangla Stadium, Mirpur, on April 20 after taking a 1-0 lead in the series opener. The day game, which will start at 10:30 AM (IST), could potentially seal New Zealand's second consecutive ODI series win away in Bangladesh.

In the first ODI at the same venue, the Kiwis batted first upon winning the toss and put on a steady 247/8 in 50 overs in the absence of their first-choice squad. Under Tom Latham, the experienced Henry Nicholls and Dean Foxcroft scored fifties, helping the team to a comfortable score for the conditions, alongside other cameos.

With the ball, it was a complete team effort, led by Blair Ticker and Nathan Smith, as they restricted Bangladesh to 221, despite valiant fifties from Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy to lead the series. As they look to seal the series on Monday evening, here's a look at their predicted lineup.

New Zealand Likely Playing XI vs Bangladesh, 2nd ODI, 2026

Top Order: Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly, Will Young

Henry Nicholls, who is pushing towards the landmark 100 ODIs, lived up to his experience in the series opener with a 68(83) with 9 fours to go past 500 runs against Bangladesh in ODIs. He averages 47.09 against them with five fifties and will continue to play the rest of the series.

Nick Kelly from Wellington, who recently broke into international cricket after putting up decent domestic numbers across his stints with Wellington, Otago and Northern Districts, is looking to make his mark. At 32, he will look to use his experience and complement Nicholls at the top.

Will Young is another name consistent around NZ Cricket, who steps in seamlessly in the top order whenever the team needs him to. He scored 30(42) in the first ODI win and will look to get a big score in the second ODI.

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Middle Order and All Rounders: Tom Latham (c) (wk), Muhammad Abbas, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith

Captain Tom Latham, with a plethora of experience, scoring 4478 ODI runs, with 8 hundreds and 26 fifties, will bat at 4 as the leader of a young middle-order. Wellington's Muhammad Abbas, who is making a name for himself in the domestic circuit, made his debut in 2025. In four ODIs, he already has a fifty to his name and can also chip in with left-arm medium.

The 27-year-old Dean Foxcroft put on a Player of the Match-winning performance in the first ODI, scoring 59(58) on his international return after two years, while also picking 1/25 (6) with his off-break. He will bat at 6, followed by the explosive Josh Clarkson, who has a List A strike rate of 96.99, with four hundreds to go with 73 wickets at a 5.40 rpo and 27.15 average.

Bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith, who scored 21*(22) to make the difference in the first-innings score, will bat at 8 for the Blackcaps. He will predominantly handle the new ball after picking up important wickets of Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in the last match. He can also return and bowl with the old ball in the final 8-10 overs after 3/45 in the 1st ODI.

Bowlers: Blair Tickner, Jayden Lennox, Will O'Rourke

The three frontline bowlers will start with the all-format pacer Blair Tickner, who ran through the Bangladesh lower-order in the last match, picking 4/40 (10). He will be the first change bowler, operating in various spells across the 50 overs.

Jayden Lennox, who debuted against India earlier this year and bowled impressive and tight lines, has retained his spot in the ODI squad. He once again bowled a brilliant 1/32 (10) in the last match and will lead the spin attack again.

The leader of the pace-attack will be Will O'Rourke, who has had his injury concerns in recent times, but looked decent on his return after 8 months out of action. He picked 1/51 (9) on the day, dismissing Saif Hassan at 57 (76).

New Zealand Playing XI vs Bangladesh- Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly, Will Young, Tom Latham (c) (wk), Muhammad Abbas, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Jayden Lennox, Will O'Rourke.

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