Tigers to face NZ XI in lone tour match Thursday

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Bangladesh is set to face New Zealand XI in their solitary practice match of the New Zealand tour on Thursday, providing their only opportunity for match practice before the challenging series against the Kiwis.

The game is scheduled to take place at the Lincoln University ground in Christchurch, commencing at 4:00 am Bangladesh Time. The Tigers will be pitted against a squad comprising domestic players, as none from New Zealand's ODI and T20I squad for the series have been included in the match.

The Bangladesh team made their journey to New Zealand in two groups, with the second batch, including five players who participated in the Test series against the same opponents at home, joining the squad yesterday afternoon.

Despite the limited time to acclimate to the conditions, team manager Nafees Iqbal assured that the cricketers were prepared for the upcoming match.

"All the players are fit and fine and are gearing up for the practice game today. The first group that arrived a couple of days back have undergone two training sessions in Christchurch," stated Nafees to projonmokantho.

Najmul Hossain Shanto and his team are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is against the Kiwis, with the tour kicking off with the first ODI on December 17 in Dunedin.