Opportunity for younger guys to come into challenging conditions – Latham

Opportunity for younger guys to come into challenging conditions – Latham

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said the upcoming series against Bangladesh is a great opportunity to test bench strength, with several frontline players unavailable due to commitments in the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League.

The first batch of the New Zealand squad arrived in Dhaka on Monday, with others expected later that night for the six-match white-ball series. Latham believes the squad still has enough experience to compete.

"It's obviously a slightly different looking squad to what we're used to with guys at IPL and PSL. It presents opportunities to some younger guys, or maybe guys with a little less experience," said Latham.

"But if you look at the squad as a whole, everyone's played for New Zealand at some point. The more experience we can get into some of these guys obviously builds depth throughout our line-up."

Latham said adapting to spin-friendly conditions in Bangladesh will be key to success.

"You look back on previous games and try to get as much information as you can. But heading to Bangladesh, we know that spin plays a massive part. Understanding that things may look slightly different than what they do in New Zealand is important.

"The work you do leading up to the game is really important. Hopefully you can start well, which makes a massive difference. It's important we always adapt. It's a really good opportunity for younger or less experienced guys to come into challenging conditions. We'll take it game by game, try to enjoy it as a group, and if we play well, hopefully we'll be where we want to be at the end."

The team will rest on Tuesday before beginning preparations on Wednesday at the Sher-e Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Series Schedule:

• ODIs:
  • 1st ODI: April 17, Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
  • 2nd ODI: April 20, Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka
  • 3rd ODI: April 23, Bir Shreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium, Chattogram
• T20Is:
  • 1st T20I: April 27, Chattogram
  • 2nd T20I: April 29, Chattogram
  • 3rd T20I: May 2, Dhaka

Match Timings:

• ODIs will start at 11:00 AM local time.
• T20Is will start at 2:00 PM local time.