Bangladesh one-day international captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza speaks during a press conference in Dunedin on Tuesday. — BCB photo
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza was hopeful his side would be getting back on track in today’s third and final one-day international against New Zealand which provided them their last chance to tinker with World Cup squad.
Bangladesh will not play any other one-day match before travelling to British peninsula for the World Cup campaign, which will start with a warm-up tri-nation tournament in Ireland involving the hosts and West Indies.
Participants of the World Cup, which is scheduled from May 30 to July 14, must announce their final squad by April 23 meaning that Bangladesh will go into the Ireland tri-nation, starting on May 5, with their final World Cup squad.
‘In Ireland we will go with the World Cup team…so this is the last match before picking our World Cup team,’ Mashrafee told reporters in Dunedin in the press-conference.
Bangladesh have a few more reasons to feel motivated before today’s final match at the University Oval in Dunedin, despite it being a dead rubber, as this gives them the last chance to beat New Zealand in their home soil in many days.
Bangladesh, who are yet to beat New Zealand on their home soil in four visits, have lost the first two matches of the ongoing series by identical eight-wicket margin, will play their next ODI in the country in February 2021.
‘There are some things that we haven’t done in the way we want to and let’s see, [we have] still a match left and will get some confidence before going into Ireland and World Cup,’ said Mashrafee, who would also possibly play his final game in New Zealand.
Mashrafee rued a missed opportunity in the series, especially in the first match in Napier, where he believed the wicket was batting friendly.
‘I think in Napier it was a solid wicket to bat on,’ said Mashrafee. ‘May be we are taking bit of time for adjusting. But all those things count like excuses when you lost by 2-0. But still it happened. Hopefully we will come up with good things tomorrow [today].
The failure of the Bangladeshi top-orders in first two matches was blamed for Tigers’ continuous sorry tale in New Zealand but Mashrafee hoped things would change in Dunedin’s batting paradise.
‘As far as I know, this is a very good wicket to bat on. We played Test matches here before. I think we had batted well in that match though it was a Test match.
‘As far as I know that when New Zealand last played here against England and they [England] scored 340 runs. And New Zealand chased it down in 45 overs. So we are expecting very good batting track. Hopefully we will think about it and make a good plan,’ he added.
New Zealand restricted England to 335-9 before reaching 339-5 in 49.3 overs in the last ODI held at this ground last year.
Mashrafee also took confidence from Bangladesh’s victory over New Zealand in a tri-series in Ireland in 2017 and in the ICC Champions Trophy in the same year.
‘Obviously if you look at Ireland last year [2017], the match we played against New Zealand we won against them. And going into the Champions Trophy and again you know we beat them. It was a nice feeling.
‘Obviously we want to do in the same way but it is going to be difficult, not as easy in this part. But the good thing is the wicket will be very good and hopefully we will play good cricket here in tomorrow [today],’ he added.
Source: New Age.