Micromax ODI CUP – Bangladesh vs New Zealand
Vettori devastated
After a result that would have defied belief before New Zealand’s tour of Bangladesh began a 4-0 whitewash at the hands of unfancied Bangladesh Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori cut a forlorn figure at yesterday’s post-match press conference.
Trailing 3-0 in the series and with only pride to play for, the visitors seemed to have started on the right track when they induced Bangladesh’s first real batting lapse of the tour by dismissing them for a partly 174 inside 45 overs.
But it all turned south for Vettori’s team thereafter, being cut down to 20-5 midway through the seventh over, before the captain himself and Grant Elliot combined for a valiant 86-run stand that eventually proved to be in vain with the visitors falling agonisingly short by 3 runs in the last over of the match.
“We are devastated by the result, especially the last game,” said the glum Kiwi captain after the match. “We came into this game trying to rectify a little bit of the tour. We bowled so well and fielded so well, and then to be 20 for 5 put a lot of pressure on us. We couldn’t quite recover from that.
“It’s incredibly disappointing because we came here with high hopes of preparing for the World Cup, and to win games. To be staring down the barrel of a 4-0 score line is really disappointing.”
Vettori identified his team’s batting as the major area of concern. The New Zealand top order collapsed regularly through the series, with their best score at the fall of the fifth wicket being a mere 135.
“We know we played very poorly, every game we were 20 for 5, 50 for 5, 60 for 5. There’s no way you can win one-day games from that position,” Vettori said.
When asked whether he was surprised by Bangladesh’s performance, Vettori said that his team knew that winning here was going to be a tough assignment. “We had been tracking them for a while. They played well against England, and had pushed them in every match.
“Bangladesh are considered one of the lower teams in world cricket, but they are on the rise. They have proved that they are the better team in these conditions and taught us to do the simple things right, and we will be a very poor team if we cannot learn from that. If we can learn from that then we can bounce back and come here for the World Cup and prove that we are a better side than we showed here.”
Vettori however, did not hold back in his praise for opposite number and man-of-the-series Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib has been imperious throughout the series and proved a constant thorn to the Kiwis.
“To walk off at the end of the series as the highest run scorer and the highest wicket taker, he has done a fantastic job, and he has captained the side as well. Bangladesh definitely has one of the best players in the world in Shakib.”
He also had encouraging words for man-of-the-match Rubel Hossain, who broke the back of the Kiwi batting with a 3 wicket burst in his opening spell. “He bowled in tough spots. It’s important to take wickets for fast bowlers in these conditions even if you are a bit expensive. With Mashrafe coming back, this will be a well-balanced bowling attack.”
With their next assignment a daunting tour of India, Vettori was under no illusions as to the steep mountain they would have to climb in order to take something away from that tour. “Doing well against the form team in the world after a result like this is going to be an incredible turnaround, but its something we can aspire to.”
