Bangladesh fight valiantly, Bangladesh fight bravely, but the Tigers lose. Despite a late flurry of wickets, the Kiwis get home with two wickets to spare. A hard-fought win for New Zealand dents Bangladesh's spirit, but should also provide them with some belief and show their remaining opponents that nothing will come easy.

Bangladesh and New Zealand have played each other quite a few times in the past and ahead of today’s enthralling encounter, here we look at some of the interesting facts about both the sides.

Here we look at some of the statistics and key players of both the teams ahead of Bangladesh’s clash against New Zealand at the Kennington Oval in London today.

The combination of the Bangladesh team, a World Cup and Eid is not a happy one. The only time the religious festival has coincided with cricket’s quadrennial showpiece was in 2003, when Bangladesh opened their campaign with an ignominious campaign against minnows Canada on Eid day, which foreshadowed a World Cup in which they lost every completed match. 16 years on, in England, the picture is the opposite.

Not far from The Oval, the scene of a stirring win in their World Cup opener against South Africa on Sunday, the Bangladesh team were enjoying a well-deserved rest day at their hotel yesterday.

Pakistan beat England by 14 runs at Trent Bridge yesterday as the World Cup’s first centuries from Joe Root and Jos Buttler were not enough to help the hosts and pre-tournament favourites overhaul the huge target of 349 set for them.

Certain boxes have to be ticked to know that the Bangladesh team are in good fettle.

As Mustafizur Rahman ran up to bowl to South Africa number 10 Imran Tahir, with the Proteas needing an unlikely 44 runs from the last 16 balls, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s smile from his position at backward point told the story.

330 for six is Bangladesh’s highest ever total in the World Cup. Their previous highest score in the mega event was the 322 they scored against Scotland in 2015 at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. It was also Bangladesh’s highest ever total against South Africa in the fifty-over format

There was not much time for Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to celebrate an opening win that seemed unlikely when the fixtures were confirmed before he had to make his way to the post-match press conference. It was enough time for the captain to get his game face on and face the media and remind the fans that the 21-run win over South Africa at The Oval yesterday was just one game.

“I think we will be playing on the wicket that was played on yesterday [Thursday], which should be very good for us,” Bangladesh bowling coach Courtney Walsh said in a press conference during the team’s practice session at the venue yesterday ahead Bangladesh vs South Africa match. “At The Oval

Bangladesh’s preparations ahead of their first World Cup match against South Africa at The Oval on Sunday seemed to have sustained a huge blow as Tamim Iqbal walked off the nets at south London’s iconic venue clutching his left forearm after being hit in the area by a ball during net practice around noon yesterday.

The Bangladesh squad are now faced with a test at the eleventh hour before they open their World Cup campaign with a high-pressure match against South Africa at The Oval in London tomorrow. The test is a stern one as it involves perhaps the most important player in their batting line-up -- opener Tamim Iqbal. During practice at The Oval yesterday, Tamim sustained a painful blow to his left wrist while batting in the nets, but fortunately for the Tigers, an X-Ray later yesterday revealed no fracture.

West Indies crushed Pakistan by seven wickets in a one-sided World Cup match at Trent Bridge yesterday, with the two-time champions showing they are a resurgent force in the one-day game.

Some of the pre-match hype turned out to be unfounded as the South Africa-England game was not a humdinger and a score over 350 proved not to be a given, but the opening game of the 2019 World Cup at The Oval yesterday did provide early vindication of one forecast: hosts England

It is not obvious if you are in London as the fanfare is not anywhere near what it is about 10,000 kilometres to the east in Dhaka, but the stage is all set for the 2019 World Cup to kick off with hosts England taking on South Africa today at The Oval.

Since the historic debut in the 1999 World Cup, Bangladesh have so far appeared in five editions of the biggest event in one-day cricket. There have been many memorable occasions and some not-so-memorable ones too on the way for the Tigers. But all of those who have adorned the red and green shirt

With a swing of the willow and a sweet strike of the cherry, cricket’s greatest event on the planet, the ICC Cricket World Cup, is all set to get underway today at its birthplace -- the United Kingdom. We, the 160 million people of Bangladesh, are not going to be mere spectators of the game like the FIFA World Cup

Together, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Lifebuoy have reinforced the bridge between supporters and the Bangladesh team in many ways. In fact, Lifebuoy has brought a breath of fresh air to the national cricket scene with an array of initiatives, one of which is an appealing campaign titled ‘Khelbe Tiger, Jitbe Tiger’.

Bangladesh supporters may well be waiting for someone to pinch them in order to wake them from what has so far been a dream lead-up to the 2019 World Cup. 2019 so far has been a rollercoaster ride, and the current ascent -- after the win-less tour of New Zealand in February-March