Fantasy: Expect pacers to prosper at Hagley Oval

The T20I tri-series between New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the first of it's kind among top men's cricket teams, was off to superb start. Pakistan outclassed Bangladesh by 21 runs in the first match and then cruised past hosts New Zealand in the second match by six wickets.

It will be New Zealand and Bangladesh for the third match in Christchurch, who have faced off quite a lot in the recent times in similar conditions. While Bangladesh look to get better ahead of the T20 World Cup, hosts New Zealand suffered a big blow ahead of the tie with pacer Lockie Ferguson out of the match due to a minor abdominal injury. They are already without allrounder Daryll Mitchell, who is out of the tri-series with a fractured finger.

Ground Details

A total of 13 T20s were played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch since January 2021 and have recorded average scores ranging between 149-166. The average target lie in the 150+ region. Pacers have been extremely effective during this period as they have claimed 104 of the 152 total wickets. However, spinners have bowled at a better economy of 7.3 compared to seamers' 8.2 despite claiming 48 wickets. An average of seven wickets have fallen across both innings, so it is better to have a deep batting order, four pacers and at most two spin options in  your team.

Suggested Team

While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy suggestions

For small leagues: Mehidy Hasan (c), Glenn Phillips (vc)

For grand leagues: Devon Conway (c), Litton Das (vc)

Stats That Matter

- Mark Chapman has batted superbly whenever he played at Christchurch as he remained not out two times in five innings and has scored 168 runs at a strike rate of 150.

- Michael Bracewell allround contributions have been critical to the Black Caps in the past few months. He has been even more impressive at the Hagley Oval averaging a superb 51.33 from 10 innings and claiming three wickets.

- Taskin Ahmed has been the pick of Bangladesh bowlers in New Zealand with four wickets from as many games, but has leaked runs at an alarming 9.8 per over.

Grander League Punts

- Blair Tickner has loved playing in Christchurch as he claimed 12 wickets from five matches he played at the venue at an impressive economy of 7.

- Mustafizur Rahman hasn't had a great time bowling in New Zealand. The left-armer has an economy of 9.2 from four matches where he has claimed just a single wicket.

- Among Bangladesh batters, Litton Das has fared better than anyone else with 45 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 121.6.

Probable XIs

New Zealand - Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Trent Boult.

Bangladesh - Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (c, wk), Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed.