Well Bangladesh enjoyed each and every moment in the first and the only test match that they played against New Zealand here in Hamilton. First, some sort of underestimation from the New Zealand side sees them making fools out of themselves after they lose 5 quick wickets for a score of just 158 on the board. And then, some late firing from Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill sees New Zealand piling up a total in excess of 500 in their first innings. And then, Bangladesh also follows suit when they hammer 400+ and in the process avoid follow on and with it the innings defeat.
Now, on the 4th day's play, New Zealand take no chances and do what they are supposed to. They go in for a quickfire scoring when they end their second innings after declaring with the scoreboard reading 258/5. This is the same total that the New Zealand batsmen were found putting up in their first innings of the match on day 1. However, their batting was not that bad like they had in the first innings. Though New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals, their body language very well showed that they had full control of the match and going wrong by any chance was completely ruled out.
Out of the 5 New Zealand wickets that fell in the second innings, three of them were run outs and moreover were set up by the Kiwi batsmen themselves. It was their hurry to keep the scoreboard ticking which saw them lose the battle with the stumps. The Bangladeshi bowlers could not stop McIntosh from striking 3 huge ones out of the ground. It was a bonus for Bangladesh to have had 5 Kiwi batsmen back in the pavilion. This once again shows that Bangladesh can cash out only from the mistakes that the opponent does and not by its own effort tame the same.
And later on, the New Zealand bowlers also followed suit which saw them bag 5 wickets with the scoreboard reading 88 runs. With an innings win out of question for the kiwis in the match, atleast a huge margin in terms of runs would be satisfactory for them I suppose. With still 317 runs needed for Bangladesh for an unlikely victory, New Zealand would have hoped for another test match in the tournament so that they undo the mistake they were found doing in the first and the lone test match at Hamilton. And, Bangladesh should stop hoping for the opposition to fare badly which they can cash out.
Showing posts with label New Zealand vs Bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Zealand vs Bangladesh. Show all posts
Friday, 19 February 2010
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Bangladesh avoid innings defeat
Well, this is one area where Bangladesh has found itself doing in the recent past. Bangladesh despite long the test series with a whitewash, irrespective of whether it is played at home or outside, they are found to give their opposition a tough fight. This was evident from the fact that they despite losing both the test matches against India last month never had an innings defeat whatsoever. This was more so after their series whitewash over West Indies which saw Bangladesh notching their first test series win. That was also the 1st time Bangladesh had a test win against a team other than Zimbabwe.
However, every time Bangladesh go out to play test cricket, they are aided by the opposition who at most of the times take Bangladesh for granted and end up paying the price which is the difference between an innings win and a just win. This is also the difference between a comfortable win and a gasping win. And, this time as well the situation was no different when New Zealand, after being put into bat by Bangladesh ended their first day's play with just over 250 on the board. Luckily, as it always happens McCullum and Guptill fought back before it would have been all over for NZ.
However, if the 3rd day's play is considered, once again New Zealand will have to curse themselves for being at such a bad situation when Bangladeshi batsmen scored runs at will and not only put up a total in excess of 400 but also maintained a run rate in excess of 4 an over, which is a pretty decent one as far the standard of test cricket is considered. There was also a Bangladeshi batsmen in Mahmudullah who scored 115 runs. Bangladesh had put up a score greater than what the Kiwi batsmen could with the loss of 5 wickets. By the time the 5th wicket for Bangladesh was down, the scoreboard read 179 which is greater than 158 that NZ could manage.
This would not have been what the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori would have been looking for after his team put up 553 runs on the board. All Vettori would have wanted is to bowl out Bangladesh for a score less than 200 and impose a follow-on and get them out soon once again so that the match can be finished with a day to spare. Can anyone of you believe it- it was a number 8 batsmen in Mahmudullah who put up a century and took his team to a commanding total as far as the standards of test cricket in Bangladesh is considered.
However, every time Bangladesh go out to play test cricket, they are aided by the opposition who at most of the times take Bangladesh for granted and end up paying the price which is the difference between an innings win and a just win. This is also the difference between a comfortable win and a gasping win. And, this time as well the situation was no different when New Zealand, after being put into bat by Bangladesh ended their first day's play with just over 250 on the board. Luckily, as it always happens McCullum and Guptill fought back before it would have been all over for NZ.
However, if the 3rd day's play is considered, once again New Zealand will have to curse themselves for being at such a bad situation when Bangladeshi batsmen scored runs at will and not only put up a total in excess of 400 but also maintained a run rate in excess of 4 an over, which is a pretty decent one as far the standard of test cricket is considered. There was also a Bangladeshi batsmen in Mahmudullah who scored 115 runs. Bangladesh had put up a score greater than what the Kiwi batsmen could with the loss of 5 wickets. By the time the 5th wicket for Bangladesh was down, the scoreboard read 179 which is greater than 158 that NZ could manage.
This would not have been what the New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori would have been looking for after his team put up 553 runs on the board. All Vettori would have wanted is to bowl out Bangladesh for a score less than 200 and impose a follow-on and get them out soon once again so that the match can be finished with a day to spare. Can anyone of you believe it- it was a number 8 batsmen in Mahmudullah who put up a century and took his team to a commanding total as far as the standards of test cricket in Bangladesh is considered.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
New Zealand get back into the game
By the end of the 1st day's play at Hamilton, New Zealand were 5 down with a not so decent total on the board. New Zealand ended the first day's play with 258 runs on the board, which at one stage saw them reeling at 158/5. Following this, New Zealand was left with just 2 batsmen who could rewrite their fortunes in Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill. And, this could have well been anticipated to be done by a team that is facing Bangladesh on its home ground. This does not make a difference where the match is played, for even at Bangladesh the result would have been no different.
The batsmen who could promise were Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum who did exactly what they were entitled to and expected to do. Both the batsmen put up a 339 run partnership for the 6th wicket which can now guarantee a win for New Zealand. And, in case fortunes swing for New Zealand, they can even expect an innings win. The duo's score accounted for almost 68 percent of the total score of 553 put up on the board by New Zealand. All that the Bangladeshi fielders could do was to see the ball hovering over the ropes continuously as a mute spectator.
Finally, New Zealand didn't take any chances and declared after both Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum left the crease, realizing the fact that further delay can only add more to the number of wickets that have fallen and may be with a handful of runs that can in no better way be of any difference to the match. Darryl Tuffey and Jeetan Patel batted as though they were ending a limited overs game in its slog overs. Tuffey and Patel ended up scoring 31 and 24 respectively, with strike rates of 81 and 100 respectively. However, I wish New Zealand should have betted for a few more overs that could have seen Tuffey going past 50 runs.
And, after the Bangladeshi innings started, may be that the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori might have kicked himself for declaring the innings which was a batsmen's paradise. The Bangladeshi innings was also no less when it came to some good scoring and free hitting. Bangladesh ended their day by putting up 87 runs on the board for the loss of just 1 wicket with Tamim Iqbal remaining not out on 56. All has to be blamed on the first day's play where New Zealand were found underestimating the Bangladeshi bowlers and took them seriously only after half the side was washed out.
The batsmen who could promise were Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum who did exactly what they were entitled to and expected to do. Both the batsmen put up a 339 run partnership for the 6th wicket which can now guarantee a win for New Zealand. And, in case fortunes swing for New Zealand, they can even expect an innings win. The duo's score accounted for almost 68 percent of the total score of 553 put up on the board by New Zealand. All that the Bangladeshi fielders could do was to see the ball hovering over the ropes continuously as a mute spectator.
Finally, New Zealand didn't take any chances and declared after both Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum left the crease, realizing the fact that further delay can only add more to the number of wickets that have fallen and may be with a handful of runs that can in no better way be of any difference to the match. Darryl Tuffey and Jeetan Patel batted as though they were ending a limited overs game in its slog overs. Tuffey and Patel ended up scoring 31 and 24 respectively, with strike rates of 81 and 100 respectively. However, I wish New Zealand should have betted for a few more overs that could have seen Tuffey going past 50 runs.
And, after the Bangladeshi innings started, may be that the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori might have kicked himself for declaring the innings which was a batsmen's paradise. The Bangladeshi innings was also no less when it came to some good scoring and free hitting. Bangladesh ended their day by putting up 87 runs on the board for the loss of just 1 wicket with Tamim Iqbal remaining not out on 56. All has to be blamed on the first day's play where New Zealand were found underestimating the Bangladeshi bowlers and took them seriously only after half the side was washed out.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Bangladesh better than West Indies
Well as the series between New Zealand and Bangladesh is found to progress, Bangladesh looks like putting a step forward towards a better performance which is actually not the case. For the first time in the series, Bangladesh posted a total in excess of 200 when they score 241 runs in the 3rd and final one dayer against New Zealand. This was also the 2nd time that they played their complete quota of 50 overs that they were scheduled to play. Previously, Bangladesh came back from nowhere in the 2nd one dayer and went on to play 50 overs at Dunedin.
Bangladesh were at one stage 46 runs for the loss of 6 wickets and went on to put up 183 runs on the board which would have raised a lot of eye brows when no one would have expected them to bat till the 300th legal delivery was bowled and more than 175 runs scored. Of course, there were extras also that contributed to Bangladesh's success. The Kiwi captain- Daniel Vettori bought in 7 of his bowlers to set things right which would no doubt be just to give his bowlers some bowling practice with the match result right in front of him.
Surprisingly, there was a Bangladeshi batsman in Imrul Kayes who notched up a century which is a celebration as far as cricket in Bangladesh is considered. For, if the entire history of Bangladesh cricket is considered, they have just a handful of players who have centuries against their names in international cricket. On the other hand, there was also a Bangladeshi bowler in Shakib Al Hasan who could pick up 4 New Zealand batsman returning with figures of 4/33 from the ten overs that were allotted to him. However the remaining Bangladeshi bowlers could not scalp more than one New Zealand batsman which is a different issue.
Though New Zealand eventually eventually won the match and with it the series as well, Bangladesh need not have had to consider themselves to be dejected whatsoever. New Zealand lost 7 wickets en-route to their successful chase of 242 which should have been 4 wickets at the most if at all critics is anywhere to go by. If the performance of the Bangladesh team is considered, they have fared better than the West Indies team who are in tour of Australia and have failed to get past the 200 run mark or even play their complete quota of 50 overs with three games being passed by.
Bangladesh were at one stage 46 runs for the loss of 6 wickets and went on to put up 183 runs on the board which would have raised a lot of eye brows when no one would have expected them to bat till the 300th legal delivery was bowled and more than 175 runs scored. Of course, there were extras also that contributed to Bangladesh's success. The Kiwi captain- Daniel Vettori bought in 7 of his bowlers to set things right which would no doubt be just to give his bowlers some bowling practice with the match result right in front of him.
Surprisingly, there was a Bangladeshi batsman in Imrul Kayes who notched up a century which is a celebration as far as cricket in Bangladesh is considered. For, if the entire history of Bangladesh cricket is considered, they have just a handful of players who have centuries against their names in international cricket. On the other hand, there was also a Bangladeshi bowler in Shakib Al Hasan who could pick up 4 New Zealand batsman returning with figures of 4/33 from the ten overs that were allotted to him. However the remaining Bangladeshi bowlers could not scalp more than one New Zealand batsman which is a different issue.
Though New Zealand eventually eventually won the match and with it the series as well, Bangladesh need not have had to consider themselves to be dejected whatsoever. New Zealand lost 7 wickets en-route to their successful chase of 242 which should have been 4 wickets at the most if at all critics is anywhere to go by. If the performance of the Bangladesh team is considered, they have fared better than the West Indies team who are in tour of Australia and have failed to get past the 200 run mark or even play their complete quota of 50 overs with three games being passed by.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Kiwi coach insults New Zealand players
Well, this would be one last thing that be it Bangladesh or any other team would like to happen. And, it is really difficult to decide whether the Kiwi coach's statements were an insult to New Zealand cricket or a praise for himself? Mark Greatbatch feels proud after his New Zealand team beat Bangladesh in the first one dayer at Napier yesterday by 146 runs. Is the present New Zealand team so bad that they have to count their wins against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe also as greatest upsets in world cricket? Or are Bangladesh that strong for New Zealand to beat and rejoice over the same?
That was Greatbatch's first assignment after he took over as the coach of the same. Nevermind that New Zealand were at one point of time during their batting innings, 19/2 which further slipped to 135/5 at the end of the 27th over. But, when they are facing a team like Bangladesh, this should be no worry for any team barring Zimbabwe and other non test playing nations. Moreover, New Zealand were chasing a target of just 190 on the board set up by Bangladesh and that was at home as well. Should it be difficult for any team to do that in today's cricket?
In one way, the Kiwi coach's words have a little bit of meaning. For, hardly can anyone recall the Kiwi batsmen regaining control over a one day match that they would have lost in the meanwhile? The only instance that I can recall is the way New Zealand chased down 336 runs against Australia in the Chappel-Hadlee series just before the world cup 2007, after at one stage being at 160/5. New Zealand's victories have always been either a slow and steady affair or a one sided affair wherein they either put up a big score for the opposition to chase down or bowl the opposition for a target that can be chased down by the Kiwi batsmen.
In slow and steady affairs that is cited above, they maintain a decent run rate by not losing quick wickets and eventually end up winning. But, incase New Zealand lose quick wickets for a partly score, their chances of survival in that match have so far been freak. When a number 8 batsman in Jacob Oram can belt the Bangladeshi bowling, one can decide the strength of that opposition, which is needless to be said. A real challenge for the Kiwi coach would be to take his team through in the upcoming Chappel-Hadlee trophy where they will be facing the Aussies afresh from all sorts of victories.
That was Greatbatch's first assignment after he took over as the coach of the same. Nevermind that New Zealand were at one point of time during their batting innings, 19/2 which further slipped to 135/5 at the end of the 27th over. But, when they are facing a team like Bangladesh, this should be no worry for any team barring Zimbabwe and other non test playing nations. Moreover, New Zealand were chasing a target of just 190 on the board set up by Bangladesh and that was at home as well. Should it be difficult for any team to do that in today's cricket?
In one way, the Kiwi coach's words have a little bit of meaning. For, hardly can anyone recall the Kiwi batsmen regaining control over a one day match that they would have lost in the meanwhile? The only instance that I can recall is the way New Zealand chased down 336 runs against Australia in the Chappel-Hadlee series just before the world cup 2007, after at one stage being at 160/5. New Zealand's victories have always been either a slow and steady affair or a one sided affair wherein they either put up a big score for the opposition to chase down or bowl the opposition for a target that can be chased down by the Kiwi batsmen.
In slow and steady affairs that is cited above, they maintain a decent run rate by not losing quick wickets and eventually end up winning. But, incase New Zealand lose quick wickets for a partly score, their chances of survival in that match have so far been freak. When a number 8 batsman in Jacob Oram can belt the Bangladeshi bowling, one can decide the strength of that opposition, which is needless to be said. A real challenge for the Kiwi coach would be to take his team through in the upcoming Chappel-Hadlee trophy where they will be facing the Aussies afresh from all sorts of victories.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
New Zealand Start their assult on Bangladesh
This was one such apple pie for the Kiwis which they would have welcomed with both hands. For, this is one such series in which even lesser known players can come out with a big knock or an innings of their life. Bangladesh is one such team regarding whom a whitewash can be expected. This is one way by which Bangladesh can help other teams. India recently played a two match test series against Bangladesh which they won 2-0 (obviously) and this in turn helped India maintain their recently acquired number one status in test cricket. And now, it is New Zealand's turn to rejoice.
Irrespective of whoever wins the toss, there can at most times be only one loser in Bangladesh. This time, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, meaning which a mammoth total was in store for Bangladesh to chase which Bangladesh would obviously not be able to. As expected New Zealand did put up a mammoth total of 336 for Bangladesh to chase down. It is not possible to sideline any one New Zealand player especially when they were playing Bangladesh and that too in their home ground. But, the highlight of the match was the number 8 batsman Jacob Oram who blasted a 40 ball 83.
In addition, there were other batsmen in Peter Ingram who was playing his 3rd one day international and yet was able to score 69 runs facing the new ball. But still, how does it matter when the opposition is under par compared to the batsman who is facing. So was the case with Neil Broom who scored 71 runs from73 balls, playing his 19th one day international at the age of 26. As wickets kept on falling at irregular intervals, the fresh batsmen gave in more strength than the earlier ones. But, Jacob Oram has done it in the past as well when he belted the Aussie bowling en-route to his 101 runs from 83 balls.
The only highlight for Bangladesh being that there was a bowler in Shafiul Islam who returned with figures of 4/68 from the four overs that were allotted to him. But, the Bangladeshi batsmen showed a little bit of maturity when the openers viz Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes started the run chase in a decent manner when they out up a 71 run partnership for the 1st wicket. It was after that wicket that the forth coming batsmen started flattering when four other batsmen went for single digit scores. Bangladesh were left with only to fight a losing battle which they did rather hesitatingly. At the end they fell short by 146 runs to win and 7 over to complete their quota of 50 overs.
Irrespective of whoever wins the toss, there can at most times be only one loser in Bangladesh. This time, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, meaning which a mammoth total was in store for Bangladesh to chase which Bangladesh would obviously not be able to. As expected New Zealand did put up a mammoth total of 336 for Bangladesh to chase down. It is not possible to sideline any one New Zealand player especially when they were playing Bangladesh and that too in their home ground. But, the highlight of the match was the number 8 batsman Jacob Oram who blasted a 40 ball 83.
In addition, there were other batsmen in Peter Ingram who was playing his 3rd one day international and yet was able to score 69 runs facing the new ball. But still, how does it matter when the opposition is under par compared to the batsman who is facing. So was the case with Neil Broom who scored 71 runs from73 balls, playing his 19th one day international at the age of 26. As wickets kept on falling at irregular intervals, the fresh batsmen gave in more strength than the earlier ones. But, Jacob Oram has done it in the past as well when he belted the Aussie bowling en-route to his 101 runs from 83 balls.
The only highlight for Bangladesh being that there was a bowler in Shafiul Islam who returned with figures of 4/68 from the four overs that were allotted to him. But, the Bangladeshi batsmen showed a little bit of maturity when the openers viz Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes started the run chase in a decent manner when they out up a 71 run partnership for the 1st wicket. It was after that wicket that the forth coming batsmen started flattering when four other batsmen went for single digit scores. Bangladesh were left with only to fight a losing battle which they did rather hesitatingly. At the end they fell short by 146 runs to win and 7 over to complete their quota of 50 overs.
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