DHAKA – Despite showing their batting vulnerability repeatedly, Bangladesh is hopeful that they could level the
series against New Zealand when they take on the hosts tomorrow at McLean Park in Napier.
The match starts at 12 PM as per Bangladesh Standard Time and will be aired live in Bangladesh Television (BTV), Gazi TV and T-Sports.
Apart from the second ODI, in every game that they played on New Zealand soil in this season, Bangladesh put up a listless batting show to dig their own graveyards.
After being whitewashed in three-match ODI series, Bangladesh hoped that the change of format would change their fortune but that was not to be. They tasted a 66-run defeat in the first T20 and yet again their batting failure
was the reason behind the big defeat.
New Zealand though compiled a hefty 210-3, Bangladesh started fluently, courtesy to opener Naim Sheikh but some soft dismissals in the midst of the innings pushed them to the back foot and they couldn’t recover from that.
A defeat in the second T20 would cost them the T20 series too. Bangladesh however wants to take the positive things form the first match in a bid to level the series.
“The intent that we showed during the chase was the positive thing. You can be all out in T20 cricket for 100 or 120 but the intent is the main thing. Hopefully we could show this intent in the second game and level the series,” Bangladesh T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad said.
But given the form of Bangladesh, a victory looks unrealistic. Moreover their past record in this country is enough to demoralize them.
Bangladesh so far played 97 T20 matches, won just 32 and lost 63 matches. The rest of the two matches were washed out. Against New Zealand, they still remained win-less after playing eight T20 matches.
On New Zealand soil, they didn’t win any match as of now and after being whitewashed in three-match ODI series and losing the first T20, their losing streak here stretched to 30 (16 ODIs, 9 Tests and 5 T20Is).
Like captain Mahmudullah, most of the Bangladesh players still believe that they could win the game. “We could have won the first game if we didn’t put down the catch of Devon Conway. He was 47 then and after being survived,
he scored 92 not out,” said Bangladesh left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, who bowled beautifully to take 2-30 on his debut match in the first T20 against New Zealand. “If we could have held on the catch that time, New Zealand’
score would be at least 20 runs less than what they piled up. In that case we could have won the game.”BSS
