Bangladesh wins toss, bats against New Zealand in 1st ODI
NAPIER, New Zealand (AP) — Bangladesh won the toss Wednesday and chose to bat in the first of three one-day internationals against New Zealand.
Captain Mashrafe Murtaza said the pitch looked a "nice, decent" strip for batting, while New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said the surface had less grass than the one on which they played India earlier this month.
Bangladesh, coming off an ODI series victory over the West Indies, is without Shakib al Hasan who has a broken finger.
New Zealand lost its recent ODI series 4-1 to India but won the subsequent Twenty20 series 2-1.
Martin Guptill returns to the New Zealand lineup after missing the T20 series with a back injury. He will open the innings with Henry Nicholls, and Colin Munro is being rested.
New Zealand again selected a lineup heavy with allrounders; the spinner Mitchell Santner and medium pacers Colin de Grandhonme and Jimmy Neesham.
Seamer Tim Southee and leg-spinner Todd Astle are the two members of New Zealand's 13-man squad to be left out of the XI.
New Zealand has never lost a one-day series at home to Bangladesh, but Bangladesh won the most recent match between the teams, at the Champions Trophy in Britain in 2017.
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New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Mustafizur Rahman.
Umpires: Sundaram Ravi, India, and Chris Brown, New Zealand.
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus, South Africa. Match referee: Steve Bernard, Australia.
