Bangladesh batsman Junaed Siddique is hoping to carry on his good form against New Zealand when he will face them in the upcoming five-match ODI series as the Tigers were preparing themselves at the Sher-e-Bangla Ntional Stadium on Friday.
The lanky opener, who scored a brilliant 85 to inspire Bangladesh to win their only ODI against the Black Caps in 2008 at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, was nostalgic about that innings.
‘That’s really a sweet memory. I still recall the memory. Even I saw the video footage of that match last night. It gives me a lot of inspiration. I wish I could play such a knock once again in the coming series,’ Junaed told the reporters after the practice session.
‘Actually I made my debut against New Zealand and any player wants to play a memorable innings on his debut. I also tried my best and eventually could play that sort of knock,’ the 23-year-old batsman from Rajshahi said.
‘In the beginning of my career I played most of the matches against New Zealand and got reasonable scores. Ironically my good knocks came up against them. That’s why everyone thinks that I like their bowling particularly,’ he added.
He also downplayed the fear factor of Kiwi fast bowlers who have already indicated that they would offer a barrage of bouncers and generate an extreme pace to unsettle the batsmen.
‘Speed is not a factor at all if you can play good cricket. Moreover, we are used to playing fast bowlers like Stuart Broad and others,’ he said.
Junaed also believed that their hard work will be rewarded, as the national team are undergoing intensive training under three specialised coaches.
‘We are working hard as we believe the more we work hard, the more we’ll make improvement. Guys are enjoying the hard work and we believe we’ll be gainer at the end,’ he concluded.
