Bangladesh Wins Toss, Chooses Batting Over NZ

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening one-day international against Bangladesh, held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. The match commenced on Friday, April 17, 2026. Bangladesh made a strategic team change, bringing Shoriful Islam into the playing XI. This alteration was necessitated by an injury sustained by Mustafizur Rahman, who was unable to play due to knee issues. Team Operations Manager Nafees Iqbal confirmed that Mustafizur felt discomfort during the warm-up session just before the toss, leading to his exclusion. Shoriful Islam was selected to replace him in the lineup for this fixture. The Bangladesh squad for the match included Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (c), Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana, and Taskin Ahmed. New Zealand's lineup featured Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Nick Kelly, Dean Foxcroft, Tom Latham (capt & wk), Muhammad Abbas, Josh Clarkson, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will O'Rourke, and Jayden Lennox.