Rain had confined the New Zealand cricket team mostly to their hotel or the indoor practice facilities since their arrival in Chittagong, and the situation was expected to be no different on Monday. However, the visitors woke up to bright sunshine, which came as a pleasant surprise as it provided them with an opportunity to train under an open sky for the first time in the tour.
The team wasted no time in rushing to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – the venue for the first Test – to which they were denied any access earlier. Coach Mike Hesson and skipper Brendon McCullum took a quick look at the wicket before concentrating on the team’s first net session.
‘Didn’t expect to wake up this morning and see the sun to be honest,’ said former captain Ross Taylor, summing up the mood of the side, ‘But it’s nice to get out outdoors and face some bowlers on grass.
‘The guys have prepared well indoors, but it’s refreshing to come outside and play on grass. It was a good test for our players being indoors, and hopefully the sun comes out tomorrow and help us in our preparation,’ he said.
New Zealand appeared desperate to show their credentials, having been pushed hard by the Tigers in their previous Test series in 2008 and humiliated by them in their previous one-day series in 2010.
However, Taylor, who was a part of both series, dismissed revenge talk and insisted that they were ready to give the home side due credit for their success.
‘I think obviously the Test series last time, it was 1-0. We were in a bit of trouble at one stage and Daniel and Co. came and we batted really well,’ he said.
‘So, you know, we are focusing on the Tests and we know that Bangladesh are a very good side in these conditions.’
‘Until you mentioned it, I forgot all about it [the 4-0 whitewash in 2010]. I mean, as I said before, Bangladesh play very well in their home conditions and we need to be at the top of our game to not only compete but to put pressure on them as well,’ said Taylor, one of the finest batsman the visitors have in their squad.
Sakib al Hasan almost single-handedly won the 2010 one-day series for Bangladesh, and he was also Bangladesh’s star performer in the preceding Tests, but Taylor refused to focus on just one player and said Bangladesh have a few good players who can cause trouble.
‘We have got some more scanning in the next couple of days. Cricket is a team game, but individuals approach each player. You give them a game plan and they figure out a formula. There are some good individuals in the Bangladesh side that we need to be aware of.
‘Obviously Tamim is a world class player, and Sakib. There’s Abdur Razzak, who has had a lot of success against us in the past.
‘And Gazi, we have seen a lot of him through footage. And Mahmudullah has played very well against us as well – scored a hundred in Hamilton.’
Taylor asserted that the Black Caps were well prepared to handle spin bowling, which has been a weakness for them traditionally.
‘Every time a New Zealand side that comes to the subcontinent, that’s always the first question that pops up,’ he said. ‘A lot of players have played here before, not only in Bangladesh, but obviously India and Sri Lanka.
‘It doesn’t come natural to us to play aggressive against spin, but if we use our own formulas to succeed, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you can play the ball and score runs and hopefully we can do that,’ he said.
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-With New Age input
