The second ODI will be played in Christchurch on March 23.
Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has insisted that the Tigers can’t make preparations as an excuse for their 8-wicket defeat in the first ODI against New Zealand as they had already enough practice at home and even in New Zealand before the three-match ODI series.
Having practiced in Queenstown and Dunedin, Tamim said Bangladesh was mentally prepared for the Black Caps challenge and the conditions, but they could manage just 131 in the opening ODI and the skipper said his team has “to refrain from overlooking their mistakes”.
Following the defeat, he urged his batsman to learn from the mistakes and must step up to give the bowlers something to defend in the ongoing three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
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Tamim said, “There shouldn't be an excuse regarding the preparations. We had practiced quite a lot during the quarantine period, as we had practiced in Queenstown, and in here too (Dunedin), so we were mentally prepared on what to expect from New Zealand, or how should be the conditions.”
He added, “Though it was quite difficult to bat in the morning, we have to refrain from overlooking our mistakes. I take a lot of pride in our batting and I don't think getting bundled up for 131 runs is good for us at all The problem is, we had 4-5 soft dismissals, which pushed us to the back foot early in the game.
There were mistakes in shot selection, which led to the soft dismissals. If we learn from our mistakes, and score at least 260-270, then the result will be different. The batsmen must step up and give the bowlers something to defend.”
Meanwhile, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, who was adjudged player of the match for his 4/27, said winning the toss and bowling first was great for hosts while hailing the team’s brilliant bowling performance against Bangladesh but warned they can’t take the Tigers lightly after the first ODI win.
Boult said after the game, “It was nice to win the toss and obviously bowl on it early. I thought the guys put the ball in a nice area. We speak as a group about keeping the pressure on and not letting the opposition get away from us. It was nice to restrict them and keep the wickets flowing throughout the innings. It was a good bowling performance all around.”
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The pacer added, “I think when you see their players on paper, the experience they have, they will be 100 percent eager to put it all together in New Zealand. Conditions are foreign to them compared to what they are used to, back home. They are not an opposition that we can afford to take lightly.”
On three debutantes Devon Conway, Will Young, and Daryl Mitchell, Boult said: “I think the group is pretty familiar with the style of cricket we want to play in this format. It is pretty unique that we had three ODI debuts today. They didn't get a real chance to show themselves with the batting, but Will Young is an established first-class cricketer.”
On the promising batsman Conway, Trent said: “He made a great start to his career as well. It is a little different not to have Kane and Ross in that line-up but it is nice to know there's a bit of depth there. The guys are hungry to get out there and stamp their authority.”
He signed off, “These guys feel like they have been part of the woodwork for a very long time. Daryl had a good start to his international career, especially with the red-ball stuff. There's a good vibe going on in the change room this week. There's still a lot of hard work to be done in this series but we are going to grounds where we enjoy playing cricket as well. Hopefully, they will have a role to play in the series.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)