Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
When Bangladesh plays New Zealand in today’s second game of the ongoing tri-nation series in Christchurch, they will be trying to get back on track.
The game will start at noon (12:00pm). The match will be broadcast live on T Sports and in Bangladesh Standard Time.
Bangladesh, which lost to Pakistan by 21 runs due to a shaky batting performance in the first game, is anticipated to have their normal skipper lead the team against the Kiwis.
Due to exhaustion, the 35-year-old all-rounder missed the game against Pakistan, but on Saturday, Shakib was spotted working hard in the nets in Lincoln.
Against Pakistan, a 50-run partnership from Liton Das and Afif Hossain in the third wicket stand alongside a late flurry from Yasir Ali [42 off 21 balls] gave the Tigers some hope, but eventually they lost.
Despite the loss, Bangladesh national team selector Habibul Bashar hailed Yasir’s batting and believed that if the other batsmen clicked then the problem would be solved in the next matches.
‘In the last match, the only positive aspect was Yasir Ali’s batting as a finisher. Sohan [Nurul Hasan] got out unfortunately; if he had clicked, then the fate of the match would have been different. Once everyone clicks, I think the problem will be solved’, Bashar told reporters in Mirpur on Sunday.
Apart from Bangladesh’s middle-order collapse, Mustafizur Rahman’s toothless bowling was blamed as one of the reasons for the loss, as the left-arm pacer conceded 48 runs in his four over spells at an economy of 12, helping Pakistan to make 167-5.
Addressing the issue, Bashar acknowledged that they were not getting the expected performance from the southpaw.
‘Mustafiz is one of our significant players. Our team performance relies on his form greatly. Maybe we are not getting his best, but I still believe that he is one of our best bowlers. You can say that we are concerned,’ said the former national team captain.
New Zealand’s defeat to Pakistan by six wickets in the second game on Saturday might also have boosted the Tigers’ morale.
Till date, Bangladesh have played 15 games against the Kiwis in the T20 format, securing only three wins and losing 12 times.
