With their seventh straight one-day international victory over New Zealand in consecutive series sweeps behind them, the Bangladesh national cricket team look ahead to the one-off Twenty20 international of the tour with a number of points to prove.
The Tigers have never beaten the Black Caps in the two T20s between the two sides, a record the hosts will look to amend at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.
The last encounter between the teams was during the 2012 World Twenty20, when Brendon McCullum’s 58-ball 123 propelled New Zealand to an easy 59-run victory in Pallekele on September 21 last year handing Bangladesh the first of their two losses in the group stage.
That loss – in conditions that should have suited Bangladesh better than the Kiwis – and the subsequent defeat to Pakistan contributed to Bangladesh’s fall to a lowly 11th-place in the International Cricket Council’s T20 rankings, behind both Ireland and Afghanistan.
Bangladesh, who had lost six straight T20 internationals prior to defeating Zimbabwe in the 2nd T20 of the series in May, have that ranking to thank for needing to effectively qualify for next year’s World Twenty20 on home soil.
The Tigers will have to beat out three qualifiers in one of two round-robin groups to advance to the Super 10 stage, where the top eight Twenty20 teams – including eighth-ranked New Zealand – will already be waiting.
Wednesday’s Twenty20, then, gives the hosts both an opportunity to exact a measure of revenge for that crucial defeat last year and a chance to prove to the world – and to themselves – that they belong among the world’s elite in the format.
It also provides the Tigers with an opportunity to get a head-start on their preparation for the World Twenty20, which begins in March, and try to prevent a repeat of their 2012 performance in Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh will be without all-rounder Sakib al Hasan, who was one of the stars of the Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament in August. Their last T20 international victory without their most accomplished 20-over player came against Kenya on September 1, 2007.
However, the side will gain confidence from their success without Sakib in the ODI series and the performances of others in his absence.
The Tigers’ mission will also be made easier by the absence of McCullum, New Zealand’s top T20 performer and captain, due to a back injury. McCullum shot to T20 stardom with his 73-ball 158 in the very first Indian Premier League match in April 2008 and has been regarded since as one the
finest batsmen in the history of the format, along with the West Indies’ Chris Gayle.
McCullum is also currently the second best T20 International batsman in the ICC rankings, behind England’s Alex Hales. His 1,882 career runs put him 550 ahead of Mahela Jayawardene for the most in T20 internationals.
He is also the only batsman with two T20 International hundreds to his name, to go along with 11 fifties and an average of 35.5, which ranks fourth among batsmen with at least 30 innings under their belts.
-With New Age input
