DHAKA – Bangladesh batting coach Jon Lewis urged his batsmen to deal with the new ball in New Zealand condition properly if they want to avoid the whitewash in the three-match ODI series.
Bangladesh had already conceded the series after losing the first two matches by eight wickets and five wickets, making the third and final game tomorrow (Friday) in Wellington a ‘must win’ game for them to avoid the ODI
whitewash.
Since the series is the part of ICC ODI Super League, a tournament which will determine which teams will make a direct entry to the 2023 World Cup in India, every point is important. In case of victory, Bangladesh will gain a
valuable 10 points, so there is nothing like dead-rubber game.
In the first match, Bangladesh was demolished by New Zealand’s new ball bowler. While in the second game, they put up a much improved performance, they were not so comfortable against new balls.
“If we bat first, we have to be wary of what the new ball might do. They have Trent Boult and if Southee comes into the side, they are quality performers,” Jon Lewis said in a recorded video message sent by the
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today.
“We have to ensure they don’t do us too much damage early on. If we are chasing a high score, we have to take advantage of the Powerplay – take some risks, play some shots.”
He went on to saying: “In Christchurch there was significant improvement in the batting effort. It didn’t go well in Dunedin where we lost the toss and it was a decent time to bowl early. The surface in Christchurch was for a
much more even contest. The guys put into practice what they had been doing during the preparation period. It wasn’t good enough because we didn’t get the result we are after, but at least there was a step in the right
direction.
Lewis was not so concerned about the run rate in the first 10 overs..that only he cared is to keep the wicket intact as he believes Bangladesh batsmen have the ability to make up a slow batting in the latter part of the innings.
“I think any run we don’t get in the first ten overs, we believe we can make it up in the latter period, as long as our established batsmen are not trying to rebuild the innings too much. If we are none or one down for 30-40
runs in the first ten overs, we feel its okay. In Dunedin we were two or three down which allowed New Zealand to control the innings. When we had a partnership between Tamim and Soumya, it allowed Mithun to kick on and get us to a decent score,” he said.
“I think the big aspect of batting overseas for Bangladeshi batsmen is dealing with a quality seam bowling with the new ball and a little bit more bounce. Tamim has more experience than most of the guys. He uses his role to
create foundation for the second half of the innings. Mithun played an exceptional innings in Christchurch. He was trying to get himself closer to the line of the ball. He was trying not to look at the offside so much by keeping leg-side as an option. You can do it where the ball bounces above the stumps a bit more, than Dhaka or Chattogram.”BSS
