PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Matt Jones’ opening round at the Honda Classic was remarkable.

He was remarkably unimpressed.

Jones tied the course record at PGA National with a bogey-free 9-under 61 on Thursday, giving him a three-shot lead after the morning wave of players. He matched the mark set by Brian Harman in the second round of the 2012 Honda, and was one shot better than the final-round 62 that Tiger Woods posted that same year.

“That’s an incredible round of golf," said Lee Westwood, who opened with an even-par 70. “Could be the round of the year, 61 around here, when it’s flat calm, impressive. But when there’s a 15-, 20-mile-an-hour wind blowing, greens are fast, a lot of crosswinds, that’s an incredible round of golf."

All told, there have been roughly 6,000 tournament rounds at the Honda since it moved to PGA National in 2007. None was better than the one Thursday from Jones, an Australian ranked No. 83 in the world.

“I play golf for a living,” Jones said. “I mean, I should be able to shoot a good golf score occasionally. It doesn’t happen as much as I want. But yes, I’m very happy with it. I was very calm, I was very relaxed out there. I’m normally a bit more amped-up and hyped-up and I had a different goal this week, to be a little more calm than normally and walk slower.”

It worked wonders.

He’s not into charting superlatives. He doesn’t know how many course records he now holds, or how many holes-in-one he’s made. He wasn’t even aware he had four consecutive birdies on the front nine Thursday until he saw his card on a giant leaderboard as his round was ending.

“I was just managing the golf course and hitting good shots,” Jones said.

Russell Henley and Aaron Wise were each 6 under after their opening rounds, those 64s matching the best score at the Honda by anyone – Jones excluded – since Rory McIlroy and Russell Knox each had 63s in 2014. Nobody in the field last year shot better than a 66.

And Henley and Wise still walked off the course Thursday three shots back.

“That’s an amazing round,” Wise said. “But I felt like I played one, too.”

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, Scott Harrington, Kevin Chappell, Joseph Bramlett and Cameron Davis shot 66. Defending champion Sungjae Im opened with a 68.

Jones had the four consecutive birdies on holes 2-5, had others on the par-4 11th and par-4 13th, then finished with birdies on each of his final three holes and never dropped a shot despite the Honda’s usual windy conditions.

Adam Hadwin, who played in Jones’ group, said “good shot” more times than he could count.

“I just stopped saying it at a certain point,” Hadwin said. “He just hit so many, you just stop saying it. You’re just under the assumption that it was good.”

Jones has just one PGA Tour victory, that coming with a chip-in to win a playoff at the 2014 Houston Open. He hasn’t made the cut in a major since the 2016 Open Championship and has never finished better than tied for fourth at the Honda, doing that in his debut at the event in 2008.

 “Whatever Matt Jones is doing, I want to see it because 61 out there is incredible,” said Shane Lowry, who shot 67 in his opening round. “That’s just incredible.”

It was still a befuddling day for many. Graeme McDowell played the “Bear Trap” stretch – the par-3 15th, par-4 16th and par-3 17th – in 6 over, after making a quadruple-bogey at 15 and a double-bogey on 17. And Hunter Mahan had a six-hole stretch in which he made, in order, eagle, bogey, bogey, triple-bogey, bogey, birdie.

Mahan finished at 77, McDowell at 79.

“It’s just so hard, so tricky,” Lowry said. “There’s a lot of disaster holes.”

Jones, at least for one day, avoided them all.

“It was a very good day,” he said.

DIVOTS: Among other notables in the field, Zach Johnson was in a group six shots back after shooting 67 and Phil Mickelson shot a 1-over 71. ... Erik Compton, a South Florida native and two-time heart transplant recipient, finished at even par. Compton was a Monday qualifier this week. ... This is the 15th time the Honda is being played at PGA National. No first-round leader on this course has won the tournament; the last first-round leader to win the Honda was Justin Leonard in 2003 at Mirasol. ... The previous best first-round score at the Honda was 62 by Tim Herron in 1996, at Eagle Trace.

Playing his second hole of the opening round and coming off a bogey at his first, Sebastian Cappelen did what he felt needed to be done – he stripped off his shirt, one shoe and a sock, rolled up his pants, and tried to save par.

He didn’t.

Cappelen, who began Round 1 of The Honda Classic on the 10^th hole, played his third shot from the mud on the par-4 11^th. He hacked out to 12 feet but couldn’t convert the save.

Ranked 161st on the FedExCup points list, Cappelen birdied his next two holes to get back to even par, but bogeyed the par-4 16^th and then made 8 at the par-3 17^th after hitting two into the water.

He did manage to eagle the par-5 18th, but made the turn in 4 over par.

Cappelen wasn’t the only person to play from the mud at the 11^th on Thursday.

Adam Scott also started his round at the 10th, also began with a bogey and also hit his second shot into the watery gunk next to the green at No. 11.

But unlike Cappelen, Scott only discarded his shoes and socks. Instead of doffing the shirt, he donned a rain jacket. And instead of making bogey, Scott saved par, splashing out to 12 feet and making the putt.

Arsenal endured a nervous night as they lost 1-0 to Greek side Olympiakos on Thursday but still progressed into the Europa League quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate.

After a 3-1 victory in Athens last week and reaching halftime unscathed in the return, Arsenal looked comfortable.

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But when Youssef El Arabi's deflected shot left Bernd Leno wrong-footed early in the second half it gave the visitors hope and increased the tension among the home ranks.

Arsenal wasted several late chances to ease the jitters with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, restored to the starting line-up being left out of Sunday's north London derby for disciplinary reasons, guilty of a poor miss.

Olympiakos had Ousseynou Ba sent off late on and Arsenal were spared any late dramas as they avenged last season's elimination by the Greek champions to take their place in Friday's last-eight draw.

Olympiakos will take pride from a third successive away win against Arsenal but the damage was done in the first leg when they conceded two late goals having equalised.

Arsenal were comfortable until a loose ball by Dani Ceballos led to El-Arabi's goal which gave the visitors hope.

As Olympiakos pushed forward they allowed gaps at the back and Arsenal should have capitalised with substitute Martin Odegaard firing over and Nicolas Pepe having a goalbound effort deflected away while Aubameyang could have had a hat-trick.

Arsenal have now made it to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in their last five Europa League/UEFA Cup campaigns.

Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted his side could have played better on the night.

"Really happy to be through. We had a tough opponent, so happy to be through. Sometimes we have to be fair with ourselves -- we were nowhere near the levels we could be," Arteta said.

"We were unstable with the ball and we gave it away. It's impossible when you give the ball away to have any structure. We created enough chances to win but were nowhere near the levels in which we can perform.

"We can't use any excuses. We had fresh players in the side. We started the game really well but then we had a lack of stability. We need to keep the ball and play some passes together and not just keep giving the ball away in transitions.

"When we conceded, we did get better and got more control but with their goal, we gave them some belief, which you cannot give to the opponent. We'll get better. When it comes to decision-making and execution, it's a little bit more difficult.

"We need another win in the Premier League and it's a big chance after the international break to get a run together."

Stunned Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho accused his players of not respecting their jobs after his side crashed out of the Europa League following a 3-2 aggregate defeat by Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg in north London, Tottenham were overwhelming favourites to reach the quarterfinals but produced a tepid performance as Zagreb stormed back with a sensational hat trick by Mislav Orsic.

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Coming after his side were heavily criticised for a poor performance in Sunday's north London derby loss at Arsenal, Mourinho suffered one of the most chastening defeats of his glittering managerial career.

While Orsic's hat trick, completed early in extra time, was world class, Tottenham's performance was feeble in the extreme and they capitulated after half-time.

"If I forget the last 10 minutes of the extra time where we did something to get a different result, in the 90 minutes and the first half of extra time I saw one team left everything on the pitch, they left sweat, they left energy, they left blood and in the end they left tears of happiness," a grim-faced Mourinho told BT Sport.

"On the other side my team, and I am there, didn't look like it was playing an important match and if for any of them it's not an important match for me it is, for the respect that I have for my career and my own job."

It was only the third time that Champions League-winning manager Mourinho had lost a match in a European competition by a three-goal margin and the second with Spurs after last season's Champions League drubbing by RB Leipzig.

He also suffered a three-goal defeat against Borussia Dortmund while at Real Madrid. But this felt far worse.

Tottenham great Glenn Hoddle, a pundit for BT Sport, described the display as "diabolical" adding: "They lost the plot but they also lost their heart."

Mourinho said he was beyond sad at Tottenham's exit from a competition in which he had earmarked as a route to silverware and the Champions League.

"I just left the Dinamo dressing room where I went to praise them and I feel sorry that one team, that is not my team, won the game based on attitude and compromise.

"I feel sorry that my team is the team that didn't bring to the game not just the basics of football but the basics of life which is to respect our jobs and to give everything."

Tottenham's season is now in danger of unravelling.

They are eighth in the Premier League ahead of Sunday's game against Aston Villa and while they are in the Carabao Cup final, few will fancy their chances against Manchester City.

Mourinho was hired to replace Mauricio Pochettino because of his record of claiming trophies.

But after Thursday's surrender, the winning mentality the club's owners hopes he would instil looks as far away as ever.

Meanwhile, Dinamo's win set off celebrations in Zagreb where several hundred supporters defied Croatia's COVID-19 as they flocked the streets in cars and on foot.

Footage published by the online edition of Croatia's daily Sportske Novosti showed fans congregating around Maksimir stadium.

A seemingly endless motorcade in downtown Zagreb was accompanied by fans setting off flares and fireworks after Dinamo pulled off the biggest shock in Europe's second-tier competition this season.

Speaking after the match, Orsic heaped praise on his teammates as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced a pair of vital saves late on to deny Tottenham squeezing through on away goals.

"I think everyone is a hero tonight because we all breathed as one in an unforgettable match," Orsic told reporters.

"We were gutted after the 2-0 defeat in London because we felt we had it in us to do better and we couldn't put a foot wrong tonight. It was a dream come true.

"We showed that we are capable of standing our ground against a high-level team and if we stay humble and avoid getting carried away we can do more big things in the Europa League."

The outcome was also a dream debut for coach Damir Krznar after he took over on Monday from Zoran Mamic who stepped down after learning he faced a prison sentence of four years and eight months for fraud.

Krznar, who was Mamic's assistant, stressed the perfect timing of Dinamo's goals and said his former boss must be given credit for selfless work which laid the foundations to Dinamo's success.

"It panned out ideally because scoring in the opening 15-20 minutes might have amounted to taunting the lion," said Krznar.

"This was my first game in charge but tonight's result is a product of the staff's work in the last two or three years and the constant progress we've made.

"Zoran was in charge but he kept his head down and always credited the staff, never himself. We are a compact unit with a lot of positive energy."

The United States U-23 national team recorded a critical victory in its bid to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, defeating Costa Rica 1-0 in its opening match of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara.

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FC Dallas attacker Jesus Ferreira scored the game's only goal in the 35th minute, and the U.S. defense made it stand up, with keeper David Ochoa making a total of eight saves in a Man-of-the-Match performance.

With Mexico and the Dominican Republic also in Group A, the victory puts the U.S. in excellent position to advance to its first Olympics since 2008.

Group B is composed of Canada, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras. The top two teams from each group move on to the semifinal, with both finalists securing berths to the 16-team tournament held in various sites in Japan from July 21 to Aug. 7.

The U.S. struggled to maintain possession as the game went on amid difficult conditions at Estadio Jalisco that included game-time temperatures approaching 90 degrees as well as altitude of over 5,000 feet. Given that the Major League Soccer season has yet to start while the Costa Rican league is in the middle of its own, the fact that Los Ticos had the better of play wasn't that surprising.

But the U.S. made the plays that mattered, and rode the saves of Ochoa to claim all three points.

"It wasn't great," said U.S. manager Jason Kreis about his team's attempts to take care of the ball. "It was an important result for us but I would say that we would have hoped to have gotten that result in a little bit of a better fashion.

"I think we would have hoped that we could have been better on the ball and make better decisions and maintain the tempo of the game better. But unfortunately, part of guys not playing matches is that it's not just about fitness, it's also about their touch on the ball.

"And so I felt that the majority of what Costa Rica did to hurt us was in transition, when we gave the ball away very cheaply."

Both teams showed nerves in the early going. Ferreira robbed Costa Rica defender Fernan Faerron in the second minute, advanced on goal unimpeded, but could only hit the post with the shot.

Ochoa was then twice called on to deliver two big saves, smothering Adrian Martinez's shot in the seventh minute, and then another close-range Martinez effort 10 minutes later following a giveaway from U.S. defender Mauricio Pineda.

That Ochoa was given the nod to start was something of a surprise given that JT Marcinkowski was thought to have the inside track heading into training camp. But Kreis' decision was vindicated throughout the match.

"I thought Ochoa was excellent," said Kreis. "And the decision was based upon performance in this camp. Both of the goalkeepers that we would have thought to give the first chance to with JT and David both came in here with a slight injury. And so it was kind of interesting to watch them in the first 10 days, as they built back to a place where they were 100%.

"I really made the decision very, very late, but it seemed pretty clear to me that at this moment right now Ochoa is in a little bit better form. And so we knew that we were going to need him to make some saves tonight and he came through in a very big way for us."

With Costa Rica man-marking Jackson Yueill in a bid to deny him the ball, the U.S. needed to find some alternate paths to goal. With 10 minutes before halftime, Pineda found Sam Vines free on the left wing. The defense didn't clear the ensuing cross, and Ferreira was first to pounce, firing home from 10 yards.

The U.S. continued to find space down the wing, and Aaron Herrera had a teasing pass across goal in first-half stoppage time, but no U.S. attacker was there to take advantage.

Intent on getting an equalizer, Costa Rica started the second half with the greater level of intensity. The U.S. didn't help itself with some giveaways deep in its own half, but Ochoa was on hand again, diving to his right to deny Randall Leal's effort in the 48th minute and then saving from Luis Diaz three minutes later.

In a bid to stem the tide, Kreis brought on Sebastian Saucedo and Andres Perea for Benji Michel and Djordje Mihailovic in the 60th minute. While Costa Rica continued to control the tempo, the U.S. did begin to find opportunities on the counter. Hassani Dotson put Ferreira in the clear in the 66th minute, but U.S. forward's first touch got away from him, and Costa Rica keeper Kevin Chamorro was able to save his weak shot.

Costa Rica continued to apply most of the pressure, and Diaz fired just wide of goal in the 67th minute. The U.S. then survived a scare with just six minutes left when Jurguens Montenegro's free header from a corner was chested off the post by Faerron, though he looked offside on the play.

But that was as close as they got, and the U.S. claimed the win. A victory by the U.S. over the Dominican Republic in three days time should clinch passage to the semifinals.

Kreis was intent on savoring this result, though he is expecting improvement from his side going forward.

"It is one thing that you're looking for from your players, to be able to gut out a result, when things maybe aren't going their way and when they're super super-fatigued," said Kreis. "You saw at the end of the game how difficult it was for some of our players to get through that match. And so now we say yes, we've got the three points in our pocket, and we're going to be a team that will improve over the course of this tournament."

In the second game of the Group A doubleheader, host Mexico beat the Dominican Republic 4-1 as Carlos Rodriguez scored in the 22nd minute and Sebastian Cordova added goals in the 51st, 69th and the fourth minute of stoppage time. Edison Azcona converted a penalty kick for the Dominican Republic in the 75th.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said this week that winning the Europa League would not necessarily prove Manchester United are making progress, but results like this are a good indicator.

Solskjaer's argument is that a trophy can paper over the cracks, but the way his team beat Milan 1-0 in their own backyard Thursday to move on to the quarterfinals should give the Norwegian belief that his players are learning how to win big games when it matters most.

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Paul Pogba, on as a half-time substitute, was the match winner with a clever goal early in the second half. He has been missed during six weeks out with a thigh injury during which United have won only five of their 10 games.

"When you win a game of football away from home in a stadium like this, against a team like this, you're very happy," Solskjaer said. "We started really well first 20 minutes. We looked like a very good team, then a spell from halfway through the first half to half-time when we rushed things, lost the ball too often, made it a long game. We just had to readdress a couple of things, and second half I thought we were better.

"Let's see who we get in the next draw. Today, we're really happy because we've beaten a historically fantastic club and a very good team that's really on the way up. So very pleased with everyone and of course we want to go all the way -- it was hard to lose in the semi last season."

Make no mistake, Solskjaer wants to win the Europa League this season, but speaking on Wednesday, he was firm in his opinion that winning any old trophy would not alone be a sign of progress.

He didn't say it, but he could have easily been talking about lifting the FA Cup under Louis van Gaal in 2016 or winning the League Cup and Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

Arsenal, also in the quarterfinal draw, won the FA Cup last season, but are currently 10th in the Premier League. You won't find many Arsenal fans claiming, "We are back," and Solskjaer doesn't believe United are either, but winning in the San Siro against the team second in Serie A is evidence they are on the right track.

Solskjaer has beaten Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea since taking over as manager, but his team has struggled when the stakes are at their highest. They are on a run of four straight semifinal defeats, but faced with an early exit from the Europa League in Milan, they showed the maturity and composure to navigate a tricky European night.

Pogba's goal -- a skillful clip over Gianluigi Donnarumma after first fooling Milan's goalkeeper with a feint -- less than three minutes after replacing Marcus Rashford was the difference.

"Paul looked like he'd been out six weeks," said Solskjaer. "He's been working hard, but when you play, it's different. He couldn't play more than 45 minutes, but he will get better and that's a big boost to have him back. We know his qualities."

The Frenchman, playing off the left, was superb as his comeback lifted United after a disjointed first-half display. Afterward, Luke Shaw branded the first 45 minutes "awful."

Fred and Victor Lindelof were excellent and Dean Henderson further strengthened his case to be No.1 with a wonderful save to stop Zlatan Ibrahimovic heading in an equaliser.

Working as a pundit for BT Sports, Paul Scholes said he believes Henderson should now replace David De Gea as first choice.

"It was a great save," said Solskjaer. "Dean is always giving us everything. It starts from the front with the pressing, really high-energy pressing, and the back six plus the keeper, we know what they can do. "So very happy with our defensive foundation -- that gives you the platform to go and win games."

"We pressed from the front, great attitude to defend from the front four, and of course we've been drilling the back four, but it's a team effort and the coaches have really really worked on details that we're improving on every game."

Ahead of kickoff, Scholes said he was "worried" for United, but even after scoring, they didn't sink back to defend the edge of their box and instead showed the calm and quality to control the second half.

It was United's first win in the San Siro since a 3-2 victory in the Champions League in 2010 -- a time when they were one of the best teams in Europe, having reached the final three times in four years between 2008 and 2011.

Solskjaer has work to do to get his team back to that level, but it's the standard he's aiming for. Results like this one make it feel a little step closer.

The window for the unfinished 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League is likely to begin on May 23, with at least seven days of quarantine to start. The PCB had chalked out two options, with one involving double-headers every day from June 6 and a final on June 20. But ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchises preferred the other option, to have mostly one game per night from June 2, with a final on June 20.

The first option had eight straight double-headers with 16 matches scheduled in 10 days followed by three playoffs in two days with the final on Sunday. The second option covers 16 group matches in 13 days. There was a minor disagreement on the timing and the number of days of quarantine, which is still being worked out, with the final decision to be taken by the PSL management in due course.

The year's edition was suspended only after 14 matches, following a spate of Covid-19 cases among players and support staff. It has been decided to resume the season in Karachi in two and a half months' time with the PCB offering two windows after revamping their coronavirus protocols, which have come under severe fire in the wake of the season stalling in very abrupt fashion. The PCB decided to recruit the services of a UK-based safety and technology company to establish a bio-secure environment this time around.

After the postponement, the PCB constituted a two-member independent committee consisting of infectious disease specialists who will both help the PCB get to the bottom of how an outbreak occurred inside a bio-secure bubble and advise the board on stricter safety measures so that it doesn't happen again. The head of the PCB medical department Dr Sohail Saleem has already handed in his notice in the fallout.

The new window will not clash with the Indian Premier League but the English season likely to coincide with it. It is understood that several English players are likely to miss out due to the County Championship as well as the Blast T20. The PSL will have a round of replacement drafts closer to the event to allow franchises to have new players on their roster.

In June, Pakistan doesn't host much cricket because of the intense heat. There was one exception though, in 2008, when they hosted their first-ever Asia Cup between June 25 and July 6. Karachi has been chosen as the venue because the weather there is considered to be milder during the summer months.

India captain Virat Kohli says he "should be fine" for the final T20I after he "aggravated" an upper quad (thigh) muscle while fielding during England's chase in the fourth T20I on Thursday.

Kohli hurt himself during the 15th over as he sprinted in from deep midwicket and threw off-balance in an unsuccessful attempt to stop a second run. He went off the field after that and watched the rest of the game from the dugout and was even seen limping during the closing stages of the match.

"I ran for a ball, I dived and I threw it, so I was probably not in the best position," Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation. "I just moved out to the outfield, earlier I was fielding in the inner ring. And the temperature drops pretty quickly, so your body tends to get stiff. So I just aggravated my upper quad a little bit and I didn't want to make it into a niggle or an injury.

"It's nothing serious. I should be fine by the day after tomorrow because we have the game in the evening. So probably took a smarter decision to come off and not sprint five-six more times and probably do it more because we have an important game coming up."

In Kohli's absence, Rohit Sharma took over the reins as the Indian bowlers closed out the game to level the series 2-2. The decider will be played on Saturday.

England are welcoming the pressure of their T20I series against India going down to a must-win fifth game on Saturday as ideal preparation for the World Cup.

India could mount the same argument, having snatched a thrilling eight-run victory to level the series 2-2 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, built on Suryakumar Yadav's 57 off 31 balls in just his second T20I and Shardul Thakur's 3 for 42, including the wickets of Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan in consecutive balls to dent England's attempted pursuit of 186.

Morgan and Stokes admitted that while it was a big ask to call on the lower order to try and see England over the line - as capable as the likes of Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan are with the bat - it illustrated the sort of tight situation they expected to be put in when India hosts the World Cup in October.

And while sealing the series with a match to spare would have allowed England the luxury of experimenting with their line-up, Morgan said the fact the final match would be the decider was a good thing ahead of the global tournament.

"We really want to play in must-win games like this," Morgan told the host broadcaster, Star Sports. "They're the closest thing that we get to playing in a World Cup or a Champions Trophy and against a fantastic side like India, it should bode to be a great game.

"Certainly all to play for. Winning away from home is a lot more difficult than at home, obviously, for various reasons, but to win away from home would be great."

Neither side has made any secret of the fact that this series - between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked sides in the world - is all about World Cup preparation, although England would dearly love to add to an impressive record away from home, having won their last five away T20I series. India, meanwhile, have only lost a T20I series on home soil once since the World T20 in 2016.

"In an ideal world, we would have loved to have gone into the next game [having] already won the series," Stokes said in his post-match press conference. "We go into the next game with a huge amount of pressure on our shoulders as a team, because whoever wins that game wins the series.

"That's great for us as a team, especially with a T20 World Cup coming up because the more pressure situations we get put into as a team the more I think we'll benefit from it.

"It is a final because if we don't win then we lose a series and we don't want to lose series, we want to win and we want to make a habit of winning them. The more situations we get put into where we've got pressure on us and we keep prevailing, that's just going to do us the world of good."

Batting for just the second time this series, as questions continue to be asked about how England best deploy him in the shortest format, Stokes fell agonisingly short of a half-century when he spooned Thakur to Yadav at long-off for 46 off 23 balls. His 65-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow had kept England in control of the chase but the loss of three wickets for nine runs in the space of 10 deliveries left them with too much to do in the end.

"It's always frustrating getting out, especially when when you feel like you've got the game in your hands," Stokes said. "You've got to look at these things and assess them and learn from them. We've got the T20 World Cup coming up and will be put in a similar situation at some point. These are all great learning experiences.

"I hope that everyone is still asking questions of themselves and I hope Morgs thinks there is more work to do, because that's how you get better, when you're always looking to improve. The more pressure we get put under as a team, the more that's going to do for us in that World Cup because World Cups can end very quickly, every game is a big game."

Big Picture

Bangladesh believe that this ODI series is their best opportunity to finally win in New Zealand. The first game in Dunedin in particular, when New Zealand are without two of their most experienced batsmen and captain, is going to be a golden chance for the visitors, who have also claimed that the preparation period this time in New Zealand has been their most fruitful.

But they are also without Shakib Al Hasan, and that is a big equalising factor in this series. New Zealand don't have Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. It is certainly a major void but the likes of Tom Latham, the stand-in captain, and openers Martin Guptill and Henry Nicholls will look to make up with their own considerable international experience. But for Bangladesh, not having Shakib is going to be a serious loss.

As much as he will be missed as a middle-order batsman, Shakib is by far their best bowler in away conditions, particularly in New Zealand.

Bangladesh do have recent form on their side and this is their favourite format of the game. They defeated West Indies 3-0 at home recently, with many of their experienced batsmen being among the runs. Still, losing to West Indies in the Test series that followed has been a cause for concern

New Zealand, meanwhile, last played an ODI series in March last year when their Australia tour was cut short by the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. They have only played four ODIs since the 2019 World Cup.

So the series may boil down to how the two sides use their experience. And how Bangladesh tackle a rampant New Zealand pace attack that includes the in-form Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson. They will rely a lot on the big three in Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah and require Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman to step up and be the match-winners they have been in the past.

What could also make the difference is whether an improved Bangladesh's pace attack can take advantage of the slight drop in experience in the New Zealand top- and middle-order.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)

New Zealand LWWWL
Bangladesh WWWWW

In the spotlight

New Zealand are all set to hand an ODI debut to Devon Conway, who broke into the T20I side late last year, and already has three fifties in the format. His unbeaten 99 against Australia last month was a breakthrough moment. Conway is likely to bat at No 3, with many in New Zealand cricket excited about this 29-year old coming good.

Mushfiqur Rahim will be the fulcrum of Bangladesh's middle-order, particularly in the absence of Shakib. He will keep wicket too, and the dual responsibility has often brought the best in him. Rahim will be expected to take the side deep into the game, and unleash from his big back-lift in the slog overs.

Team news

New Zealand will be making at least five changes to the side that played their last ODI in Australia in March last year. Williamson (elbow), Taylor (hamstring), Colin de Grandhomme (ankle) and Lockie Ferguson (back) are out with injuries while Ish Sodhi, despite his Player-of-the-Series winning performance against Australia in the T20Is recently, too hasn't been considered. Conway, Will Young and Daryl Mitchell are likely to make their ODI debuts.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Henry Nicholls, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 5 Will Young, 6 James Neesham, 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Kyle Jamieson, 11 Trent Boult

Until Mossaddek Hossain is declared fit for the first ODI, Bangladesh will have to wait to finalise their playing XI. Among the pace bowlers, the team management may take a chance on young Hasan Mahmud early in the series.

Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Liton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mosaddek Hossain/Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Soumya Sarkar, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Hasan Mahmud/Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

The side batting first has averaged 261 have won half of the ODIs at the University Oval in Dunedin. With short boundaries, it is likely to be a run-fest although there's a chance of morning cloud cover and evening drizzle.

Stats and trivia

• It has been six years since the last time New Zealand played an ODI without both Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson.
• In the last ODI held at this ground, Tim Southee took the most expensive six-wicket haul after Mustafizur became the second Bangladesh bowler to concede more than 90 runs in an ODI.

Quotes

"We have a solid fast bowling attack this time. We have a few young players who I am excited to see. They have been doing exceptionally well in the practice games. Hopefully we will have a good start tomorrow."
Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, when asked about his side's strength on this tour.

"The pride is massive. It is an honour to be able to captain New Zealand. It is something that you dream of doing, and to be given the opportunity again is really nice. Hopefully we can start the series well."
New Zealand captain Tom Latham, who is standing in for the injured Kane Williamson.