Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand aims for semi-final spot against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi showdown

Rawalpindi [Bangladesh]: The ICC has announced that Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand will face off against the Bangladesh Cricket Team in their second Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

The Nazmul Hossain Shanto-led side enter a must-win mode for the rest of the tournament after dropping their opening game to India. Meanwhile, for the Black Caps, semi-finals qualification beckons.

Recent form:

Bangladesh: The Tigers' loss to India to start their Champions Trophy campaign is the only ODI they've played since December last year. Against the West Indies at the back end of 2024, Bangladesh won all three T20Is but lost all three One-Day Internationals. That, combined with their six-wicket loss to powerhouse India, doesn't bode overly well.

New Zealand: The Kiwis have played seven ODIs this calendar year and won six of them. The only loss came against Sri Lanka in January, in a series they prevailed 2-1. Since then, they haven't put a foot wrong, winning all three lead-up One-Dayers to claim the Tri-Nation Series over Pakistan and South Africa. New Zealand then followed up that fine form with a 60-run win over tournament hosts Pakistan in the Champions Trophy opener.

Players in focus:

Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto

The Tigers' captain missed out against India, removed for a second-ball duck. And while it's stating the obvious, Bangladesh will need to score big runs to threaten the Kiwis, off the back of strong, early foundations with the bat, whether it's in the first or second innings.

Nazmul Hossain Shanto is Bangladesh's top-ranked ODI batter, at 26th, off the back of some productive scores in 2024. He'll be desperate to put together a strong innings.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner

The Black Caps skipper will have an important job with the ball, coming off his 3/66 against Pakistan the other day.

The quality of New Zealand's batting was on full display in the Champions Trophy opener, with two hitters reaching three figures and Glenn Phillips belting 61 off 39 balls. On top of that, there's Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, so there's immense depth in the lineup.

The Kiwis' path to victory is bowling well and Santer will play a crucial role both with his field placings and then when he comes in to take pace off the ball.

Squads:

Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto , Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner , Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news along with India vs Pakistan Live Score. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }