DHAKA – Bangladesh hopes to end a disappointing tour at least with some good memories as they take on the New Zealand in the third and final T20 match tomorrow (Thursday) at Eden Park in Auckland.
The match starts at 12 PM as per Bangladesh Standard Time and will be aired live on Bangladesh Television (BTV), Gazi TV and T-Sports.
With the third T20, they will end a tour in which they hardly have any memory to cherish. At least a win in this match can give them something to savour as well as resist their tour whitewash.
Bangladesh earlier was swept in the three-match ODI series and is now standing on the brink of another whitewash after losing the first two T20s.
A win also can give them their first victory on New Zealand soil for which they are craving for. Bangladesh came here with 26 straight losses across the format and after the five matches of the series, the losing-streak now stands 31 (16 ODIs, 9 Tests and 6 T20Is).
Ahead of leaving the country, the Tigers were oozing with confidence to end the win-draught on New Zealand soil but that so far was not to be. They lost the first ODI by eight wickets, being all out for 131. In the second match, they though batted well, still conceded a five-wicket defeat before another abysmal batting show led their mammoth 164-run defeat in the third ODI.
In the first T20, they also came up with dismal batting and tasted a 66- run defeat before a DLS drama over revised target in rain-affected second T20 somewhat covered up their yet another batting failure.
The only good thing in the second T20 was free flowing batting of Soumya Sarkar who snapped his long sequences of failures to keep Bangladesh in the match till 10th overs, blasting a 27 ball-51. But Soumya’s dismissal ushered a capitulation of run-chase, forcing Bangladesh to lose the game by 28 runs through D/L method.
Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo however believes Soumya’s batting would give the boys a confidence that they still are capable to beat New Zealand in series-ending third T20 match.
“A hundred after 10 overs, I think we got off to a great start (in second T20). Very happy with the intensity of how we went about things which is a marked improvement from our previous game. Obviously didn’t finish well but some real positives for us,” Domingo said.
“It’s (New Zealand) a tough place and our record here is not great. We showed glimpses of what we can do but we haven’t been consistent enough. Hopefully we can be consistent for the whole 40 overs in the next game. If
you have a bad five overs, they will pounce on you and take the game away
from you. Hopefully we can put a complete performance,” he remarked.
Bangladesh so far played 98 T20 matches, won just 32 and lost 64 matches. The rest of the two matches were washed out. Against New Zealand, they still remained winning-less after playing nine T20 matches. It can reach
double digit mark had they failed to resist a New Zealand victory tomorrow (Thursday).
“In T20 sometimes you get a good start, sometimes you don’t. But both batting and bowling, you must finish well,” Bangladesh T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad said.BSS
