Bangladesh vs New Zealand series 2021 has created a special interest among the cricket fans as for the first time Tamim Iqbal will lead Bangladesh away from home after being appointed as permanent ODI captain. Facing off against New Zealand in their own backyard would be a real challenge for Bangladesh, this is why we can expect that Tamim’s actual leadership ability will be exposed in this series. Besides, the final outcome of the contest will affect the ICC’s ODI rankings. So, this article highlights the ODI rankings prediction of Bangladesh and New Zealand at the end of the series.
ODI Rankings Scenario: Bangladesh vs New Zealand Series
The 3-match ODI series between Bangladesh and New Zealand will begin on March 20. The rest of the two matches will be played on March 23 and March 26 respectively.
| Match | Venue | Time (Bangladesh Standard Time) |
| 1st ODI | The University of Oval, Dunedin | 4 AM |
| 2nd ODI | Hagley Oval, Christchurch | 7 AM |
| 3rd ODI | The Basin Reserve, Wellington | 4 AM |
The bilateral ODI series between New Zealand and Bangladesh will be important for both sides as the points from each match will be added in the ICC cricket world cup super league. The series result may change the overall ICC rankings especially if New Zealand win all the matches against an under-pressure Bangladesh side.
Read New Zealand Series will define Tamim’s captaincy
New Zealand haven’t played an ODI for almost a year, their last one-day game was against arch-rival Australia back on March 13, 2020, before the worldwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On the other side, Bangladesh whitewashed (3-0) the Windies in an ODI series at home this January. In fact, Bangladesh won their previous six ODIs but all victories came at home.
Also read: Who can replace Shakib Al Hasan in Bangladesh Cricket Team?
As per the latest updates, New Zealand are at 3rd position with 116 points, while Bangladesh are at 7th position with 91 points. The Kiwis will move up to the second spot if they whitewash Bangladesh but interestingly team tigers won’t move down to the rankings if they hammer by the host in all matches.
Also read: BCB announces Bangladesh squad for New Zealand tour
On the other hand, winning the series 3-0 won’t change Bangladesh’s ODI rankings but five valuable rating points will be added to their name. Let’s take a look at how ICC’s ODI rankings prediction gives us an idea about the series-end ranking scenario.
The probable ICC ODI rankings for Bangladesh and New Zealand
Bangladesh win by 3-0
Bangladesh will get 5 points which will take them to 96 rating points just 4 points behind Pakistan and 11 points clear from 8th place holder Sri Lanka. But Bangladesh will remain at the seventh position, while New Zealand will move down to the 4th position with 110 points.
Bangladesh win by 2-0
Ranking won't change for either side but Bangladesh will cut the rating gap with sixth place Pakistan to 5 points. On the other side, New Zealand will lose 4 points.
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Bangladesh win by 2-1
Three points will be added to Bangladesh’s rating points, while New Zealand will lose 3 points.
Series draw 1-1
If the series ends 1-1, Bangladesh will gain 1 point and New Zealand will lose 1 point.
New Zealand win by 3-0
The home side will get 2 points and move up to the second position of the ICC rankings with 118 points. On the other side, Bangladesh will lose 2 valuable points but remain at the seventh position just above Sri Lanka.
Read Bangladesh vs New Zealand series: Expected Milestones to Reach
New Zealand win by 2-0
New Zealand’s ODI rankings will improve even if they win the series by 2-0. They will climb up to the second spot with 118 rating points, while Bangladesh will lose 1 point.
New Zealand win by 2-1
New Zealand will lose a point but Bangladesh will achieve 1 rating point.
ICC ODI ranking prediction may not be rejoicing news to the Bangladesh cricket fans but winning a match in the series will be a huge confidence booster for the team. Besides, registering a maiden victory against the Blackcaps in New Zealand is nothing short of great achievement.