Kane Williamson, New Zealand cricket, Cricket NZ, Bangladesh vs New Zealand, 1st ODI,
Kane Williamson will hope to lead from the front in the ODI series against BangladeshReuters

New Zealand will be hungry for success in the ODI format after their loss to India and later to Australia. The Black Caps will hope to get back to their winning ways when they square off against Bangladesh in the three-match ODI series with the first one set to be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Monday.

The team are always a quality side when they are at home as they know the conditions the best and use it well to beat their opponents. Pitches in New Zealand favour seamers, and with the Black Caps possessing bowlers like Tim Southee and Trent Boult, they can create problems for Bangladesh batsmen.

It is not only their bowlers who will hope to shine in the opening ODI of the series but also their batsmen like Martyin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Colin Munro, who can make life difficult for the opponents. On paper, it is the all-round team of New Zealand that look clear favourite to beat Bangladesh at home, but skipper Williamson is aware of Bangladesh's improvement. The Tigers have defeated some big teams in world cricket.

"They have been getting better and better every year, and certainly at home, they are extremely tough to beat. They have turned over most oppositions that have come their way in their own conditions, and they are getting more and more experienced playing around the world, so it'll be a tough challenge and we will have to be playing our best cricket," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Williamson as saying.

Bangladesh will be tested by this New Zealand team during the series. They have shown that they are a strong team in the sub-continent, but it is time for Bangladesh that they are equally capable of performing consistently in bouncy and seaming conditions too. In such conditions, they will be pleased to have the services of Mustafizur Rahman, who will be their most important bowler in the series.

Besides Mustafizur, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed will shoulder the bowling attack while batsmen such as Mahmuddulah, Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib-Al Hasan will have to be on top of their game in the first ODI. Bangladesh have decent experience in their squad, and all their players need to bring their experience into play to beat New Zealand in the first ODI.

Where to watch live

New Zealand vs Bangladesh first ODIis scheduled for 11 am local time (10 pm GMT, 3:30 am IST)

India: TV: No live coverage

Bangladesh: TV: Channel 9

New Zealand: TV: Sky Sports. Live Streaming: Sky Go

Australia: TV – Fox Sports 2. Live streaming - Foxtel

UK: TV: Sky Sports 2/HD. Live Streaming: Sky Go