Bangladesh cricket team in New Zealand in 2007-08
Encyclopedia
The Bangladesh cricket team toured New Zealand between December 19 2007
and January 16, 2008 to play three one day internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches
. This was the second Bangladeshi tour to New Zealand (the first being their 2001-02 tour) and the third series between the countries following New Zealand's 2004-05 tour to Bangladesh. The teams also met in pool play during the 2003 Cricket World Cup
and at the Super 8 stage of the 2007 Cricket World Cup
.
New Zealand whitewashed
both the ODI and Test series, leaving the Bangladeshis still searching for their first win against New Zealand in an official match. They did beat New Zealand in a warm-up match for the 2007 World Cup; however this was not recognised as an official match. Similarly, Bangladesh beat a New Zealand XI on this tour but, as this was not an official New Zealand team, it didn't count as an official match either.
and seventh in the ICC Test Championship
. Prior to this series the New Zealand team had toured South Africa
- losing the test series 2-0 and the ODI series 2-1 - and Australia, where they lost the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series
2-0.
where they lost both the test and ODI series 3-0.
, Michael Mason and Gareth Hopkins - were released to return to their provincial teams in order to give them playing time in the State Shield
. Peter Fulton
, who had missed the two tours due to having knee surgery, was included in the squad after showing good form in the four-day State Championship
competition. Mason was called back into the squad for the third ODI as cover for Mark Gillespie
who injured his left shoulder bowling in the second match.
Bangladesh named opener Junaid Siddique
, uncapped at One Day International level in their squad while recalling fast bowler Nazmul Hossain
after impressive domestic performances. Injuries to Tushar Imran
and Syed Rasel
resulted in Rajin Saleh
and Sajidul Islam
being added to the squad prior to the series.
New Zealand recalled opening batsman Matthew Bell to the Test squad, dropping Michael Papps
, Scott Styris
, and Ross Taylor
from the party that travelled to South Africa. Peter Fulton was also recalled with Jeetan Patel
set to join the squad for the second Test and Mark Gillespie ready to take his place if he was to recover from a shoulder injury.
Bangladesh called up Habibul Bashar
, Shahriar Nafees
, and Enamul Haque junior, while Javed Omar
, Tushar Imran
, Nazmul Hossain
, and Mehrab Hossain junior
returned home.
side Northern Districts
. They lost two early wickets, both caught behind, before captain Mohammed Ashraful and debutant Junaid Siddique
steadied things. Having reached 121 for two after 32 overs, they then lost five wickets for just 56 runs before lower-order batsmen Farhad Reza
and Mashrafe Mortaza
saw the innings through to 222. In response, Nick Horsley
made a career-best 92 from 99 balls which, along with a quick-fire 55 from 39 balls by James Marshall
, was enough to see Northern Districts win comfortably.
Bangladesh suffered a further setback during the game, with opening bowler Syed Rasel
injuring his collarbone
while fielding. Sajidul Islam
was flown into the squad as a replacement after it was determined he had dislocated the left collarbone.
. Having won the toss, Bangladesh chose to bat; apart from a century from opener Tamim Iqbal
none of the batsmen really took the chance to get in some batting practice. In response, Auckland overhauled the Bangladeshis total of 242 with ease, with Richard Jones
top-scoring with 85 not out and each of the batsmen hitting at least one six in their innings.
charity match was held between Bangladesh and a New Zealand Cricket XI with the funds raised going to people affected by Cyclone Sidr
; the International Cricket Council
donated an additional US$250,000 to the funds at the start of the match. Asked to bat first, the New Zealand side had a slow start, having made just 19 runs for the loss of two wickets after 5.3 overs. Most of the batsmen seemed out of form and fell to injudicious shots, with an unbeaten 33 from James Marshall
seeing the side through to 133 for seven from their 20 overs.
Bangladesh began their innings in a similar manner, losing their opening batsmen early. They recovered with Mohammad Ashraful
and Aftab Ahmed
scoring quick runs before being run out; the job was then completed with three overs to spare thanks to Shakib Al Hasan
, Mehrab Hossain and top scorer Farhad Reza
. Stephen Fleming
, who captained the New Zealand side, later said that "it feels very tentative with the batting unit – there's been a lot of focus on it, the performances haven't been great and with that comes a certain amount of tension."
admitting
that they had been aiming for 280 when they should have been more concerned with ensuring a total of at least 250. In reply New Zealand cruised to victory with six wickets and 44 balls to spare, led by 88 runs from opener Jamie How.
with the second of his five wickets; in addition, the five-wicket haul made him the top ODI wicket taker in the world for 2007. In reply, New Zealand blitzed the Bangladesh bowlers, taking just six overs to win without losing a wicket. Brendon McCullum
scored an unbeaten 80 off just 28 balls (a strike rate
of 286) and Jamie How scored 7 not out having only faced eight balls.
- who scored 53 on debut - offering any real resistance as Bangladesh made 137. Chris Martin
took four wickets - ending the innings on 117 career wickets, 7th equal on the all-time New Zealand list with Richard Collinge
- and Jacob Oram
took three.
In response New Zealand overtook the total on the first day, reaching 156/4 by stumps. The innings was led by Matthew Bell, playing his first test since 2001, who was 74 not out at the end of the first day's play. He reached his second test century in the morning session of the second day before being dismissed by Mohammad Ashraful. Jacob Oram also reached three figures, top-scoring with 117; however the rest of the batsmen did not make any major contribution with Daniel Vettori's 32 being the third highest score and only four players making more than twenty. Dismissing New Zealand for 357 marked the first time in seven tests that the Bangladeshi bowlers had dismissed a batting side.
Trailing by 220 runs, Bangladesh's second innings started in a markedly different manner to their first. Openers Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique were both unbeaten at stumps on day two, their 148-run stand breaking the Bangladeshi record for the highest opening partnership. The batsmen, both playing in their first Test match, had reached 72 and 69 respectively at the end of the day's play. However the pair were dismissed early on day three, with Bangladesh then collapsing to be 206/5 at lunch before being dismissed for 254. Needing just 35 runs for the victory, New Zealand wrapped the match up before tea on the third day with only the loss of Craig Cumming for four.
Vettori later said that he had been too attacking with the field settings at the start of the Bangladeshi second innings, and that advice from former captain Stephen Fleming
and coach John Bracewell
overnight led to a changed game plan on the third day with the desired results.
were the main wicket-takers with five and three wickets respectively as Bangladesh were dismissed for 143. Martin's five wicket haul was his eighth in tests and moved him up to sixth on New Zealand's all-time wicket taking list, equal with Ewen Chatfield
on 123 wickets.
In response, New Zealand came within nine runs at the end of the first days play as they finished on 134/3. Craig Cumming
, whose spot in the side was under pressure from Jamie How
, made 42 before being dismissed leg before wicket
for the third innings in a row. At the close of play, Stephen Fleming
was unbeaten on 39 as he looked for his first test century on his home ground. On the second morning, Bangladesh was guilty of dropping four catches in the first 90 minutes before finally dismissing Mathew Sinclair. Fleming was also dropped from a skied shot before being dismissed for 87 off a similar shot. Vettori and Brendon McCullum
put together an 81 run partnership at 5.28 runs per over before McCullum was dismissed; Vettori finished as the top scorer with 94. Despite leading by 250 runs after being dismissed for 393 there was some criticism of the ability of the batsmen to carry on to large scores, with five batsmen scoring at least 40 but none being able to break 100.
The Bangladeshi second innings did not start any better than the first. With Tamim Iqbal
unable to open the batting having fractured his left thumb dropping one of the catches they had lost five wickets by stumps on the second day. All of the wickets had been caught behind the wicket, with wicket-keeper
McCullum taking one and the remainder being caught by the slip
s. At the end of the day's play, Bangladesh were 51/5 needing a further 199 runs to make New Zealand bat again and thus avoid an innings defeat. On the third day, the Black Caps required only 25 more overs to dismiss Bangladesh for an innings win. Only Shakib Al Hasan
offered any resistance, finishing on an unbeaten 41. Equally telling was that Bangladesh's highest-scoring partnership in their second innings was 30 on the last wicket.
International cricket in 2007-08
International cricket in the 2007-08 cricket season is defined by major statisticians, such as CricketArchive and Wisden, as those matches played on tours that started between September 2007 and April 2008.-ICC Championship Tables At Start of 2007-08 Season:...
and January 16, 2008 to play three one day internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
. This was the second Bangladeshi tour to New Zealand (the first being their 2001-02 tour) and the third series between the countries following New Zealand's 2004-05 tour to Bangladesh. The teams also met in pool play during the 2003 Cricket World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
and at the Super 8 stage of the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
.
New Zealand whitewashed
Whitewash (sport)
A whitewash is an informal term in sport describing a game or series in which the losing person or team fails to score.A whitewash may be in a single game where the loser fails to score any points or goals, or in a series where the loser fails to win a game...
both the ODI and Test series, leaving the Bangladeshis still searching for their first win against New Zealand in an official match. They did beat New Zealand in a warm-up match for the 2007 World Cup; however this was not recognised as an official match. Similarly, Bangladesh beat a New Zealand XI on this tour but, as this was not an official New Zealand team, it didn't count as an official match either.
New Zealand cricket team
At the start of the series, the New Zealand were ranked third in the ICC ODI ChampionshipICC ODI Championship
The ICC ODI Championship is an international One Day International cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council. The competition is notional in that it is simply a ranking scheme overlaid on the regular ODI match schedule. After every ODI match, the two teams involved receive points...
and seventh in the ICC Test Championship
ICC Test Championship
The ICC Test Championship is an international competition run by the International Cricket Council in the sport of cricket for the 10 teams that play Test cricket...
. Prior to this series the New Zealand team had toured South Africa
New Zealand cricket team in South Africa in 2007-08
The New Zealand cricket team toured South Africa between 25 October and 2 December 2007 and played 2 Test matches, 3 ODIs and 1 Twenty20 match.-Squads:*Lou Vincent was called up to the Test squad to replace Fulton....
- losing the test series 2-0 and the ODI series 2-1 - and Australia, where they lost the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series
Chappell-Hadlee Trophy 2007-08
-KFC Twenty20 International:-First ODI: 14 December, Adelaide:Australia led the series 1-0-Second ODI: 16 December, Sydney:Australia led the series 1-0-Third ODI: 20 December, Hobart:Australia won the series 2-0...
2-0.
Bangladeshi cricket team
By contrast, Bangladesh were ranked ninth in the ODI championship and ninth in the test championship. Their previous outing was in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 championships where they reached the Super 8 stage. Their most recent series was their 2007 tour to Sri LankaBangladeshi cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2007
The Bangladesh cricket team toured Sri Lanka for three Test matches and three One Day Internationals in June and July 2007. This series held Mohammad Ashraful's first Test and ODI matches as captain of Bangladesh...
where they lost both the test and ODI series 3-0.
Squads
Following New Zealand's losses in South Africa and Australia, three players from the touring squad - Lou VincentLou Vincent
Lou Vincent is a professional New Zealand cricketer. He has represented New Zealand in Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket as well as playing for Auckland in New Zealand domestic cricket and Worcestershire and Lancashire in English domestic cricket.-Early and...
, Michael Mason and Gareth Hopkins - were released to return to their provincial teams in order to give them playing time in the State Shield
State Shield
The New Zealand limited-overs cricket trophy is the main domestic List A limited overs cricket competition in New Zealand. Previous sponsor State Insurance did not renew naming rights in 2009, resulting in the competition being renamed the New Zealand Cricket one-day competition...
. Peter Fulton
Peter Fulton
Peter Gordon Fulton nicknamed Two metre Peter, is a New Zealand cricketer who has recently broken into the New Zealand One Day side....
, who had missed the two tours due to having knee surgery, was included in the squad after showing good form in the four-day State Championship
State Championship
New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. It is currently known as the Plunket Shield, reintroducing the name used in the early stages for the 2009–10 season.-Plunket Shield:...
competition. Mason was called back into the squad for the third ODI as cover for Mark Gillespie
Mark Gillespie (cricketer)
Mark Raymond Gillespie is a member of the New Zealand cricket team. He came to the selectors attention in the 2005-06 season with 43 wickets at 23.16 for Wellington...
who injured his left shoulder bowling in the second match.
Bangladesh named opener Junaid Siddique
Junaid Siddique
Mohammad Junaid Siddique is a Bangladeshi cricketer of Pakistani descent. Junaid's grandfather and father originally originate from Sialkot Punjab Pakistan, but migrated to East Pakistan in 1968 which is now Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He is sometimes referred to by his...
, uncapped at One Day International level in their squad while recalling fast bowler Nazmul Hossain
Nazmul Hossain
Mohammad Nazmul Hossain is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was born in Habiganj, Bangladesh.Hossain was part of the 13-man Bangladesh squad that played in the 2010 Asian Games in late November. They played Afghanistan in the final and won by five wickets, securing the country's first gold medal at the...
after impressive domestic performances. Injuries to Tushar Imran
Tushar Imran
Sheikh Tushar Imran is a cricketer from Bangladesh who has represented his country in 4 Test matches and 37 One Day International...
and Syed Rasel
Syed Rasel
Syed Rasel is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a left-handed medium-fast swing bowler who came up through the ranks of the under-19s, to the Bangladesh A team, to the full Bangladesh team, while playing for Khulna Division....
resulted in Rajin Saleh
Rajin Saleh
Khondokar Mohammad Rajin Saleh Alam is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was the twelfth man of the inaugural Test that Bangladesh played against India on November 10, 2000. He then spent three years out of the national squad. He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2003 when they made a trip to...
and Sajidul Islam
Sajidul Islam
Sajidul Islam is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was born on 18 January 1988 and is a right-handed batsman and left arm medium fast bowler. He played for Bangladesh Under-17s in 2003/04 and represented the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy in 2006/07...
being added to the squad prior to the series.
New Zealand recalled opening batsman Matthew Bell to the Test squad, dropping Michael Papps
Michael Papps
Michael Hugh William Papps is a New Zealand right-handed opening batsman and wicket-keeper. He was born in Christchurch.Papps was selected for the one-day series against South Africa in 2003–04 to solve New Zealand's long-running search for a capable opening batsman to partner Stephen...
, Scott Styris
Scott Styris
Scott Bernardo Styris is an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer. An allrounder, Styris is an aggressive right-handed middle order batsman and a right-arm medium pace bowler....
, and Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor
Luteru Ross Poutoa Lote Taylor , abbreviated in cricket scorecards to LRPL Taylor, but more commonly known as Ross Taylor, is a New Zealand cricketer and the current captain, preferred ahead of wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum. He has also captained the New Zealand Under-19 side in youth internationals...
from the party that travelled to South Africa. Peter Fulton was also recalled with Jeetan Patel
Jeetan Patel
Jeetan Shashi Patel is a New Zealand cricketer of Indian descent. Patel is a right arm off spin bowler. He plays domestic cricket for the Wellington Firebirds and has represented the New Zealand Black Caps in One Day Internationals, Twenty20 matches, and Test cricket.Patel was earmarked as a...
set to join the squad for the second Test and Mark Gillespie ready to take his place if he was to recover from a shoulder injury.
Bangladesh called up Habibul Bashar
Habibul Bashar
Qazi Habibul Bashar is a Bangladeshi cricketer, and the former captain of the Bangladeshi cricket team. Under the managership of Davenell Frederick 'Dav' Whatmore, he has been found to be the most successful captain to lead the Bangladesh team to overcome several milestones. The first test...
, Shahriar Nafees
Shahriar Nafees
-Career Story:Nafees, a left-handed opening batsman, first played in the national team in Bangladesh's maiden English Tour . Nafees scored his maiden first-class century, as well as his first in Tests, at Fatullah in April 2006 against Australia. He scored his maiden one-day hundred against...
, and Enamul Haque junior, while Javed Omar
Javed Omar
Mohammad Javed Omar Belim is a Bangladeshi cricketer who has played Tests and ODI cricket since 1995.On his Test debut in April 2001, he carried his bat for 85 not out becoming only the third player in history to achieve this on debut. The 29 year old opener has gained a reputation for being able...
, Tushar Imran
Tushar Imran
Sheikh Tushar Imran is a cricketer from Bangladesh who has represented his country in 4 Test matches and 37 One Day International...
, Nazmul Hossain
Nazmul Hossain
Mohammad Nazmul Hossain is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was born in Habiganj, Bangladesh.Hossain was part of the 13-man Bangladesh squad that played in the 2010 Asian Games in late November. They played Afghanistan in the final and won by five wickets, securing the country's first gold medal at the...
, and Mehrab Hossain junior
Mehrab Hossain Junior
Mehrab Hossain is a Bangladeshi cricketer who came through successfully through the age groups of the country. He was a member of the U-19 Bangladesh National Cricket Team of the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup and was called in the national team for the first time at the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy....
returned home.
Northern Districts (Game 1)
The Bangladeshis first game on tour was a one-day match against the State ShieldState Shield
The New Zealand limited-overs cricket trophy is the main domestic List A limited overs cricket competition in New Zealand. Previous sponsor State Insurance did not renew naming rights in 2009, resulting in the competition being renamed the New Zealand Cricket one-day competition...
side Northern Districts
Northern Districts Knights
The Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
. They lost two early wickets, both caught behind, before captain Mohammed Ashraful and debutant Junaid Siddique
Junaid Siddique
Mohammad Junaid Siddique is a Bangladeshi cricketer of Pakistani descent. Junaid's grandfather and father originally originate from Sialkot Punjab Pakistan, but migrated to East Pakistan in 1968 which is now Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He is sometimes referred to by his...
steadied things. Having reached 121 for two after 32 overs, they then lost five wickets for just 56 runs before lower-order batsmen Farhad Reza
Farhad Reza
Farhad Reza is a Bangladeshi cricketer who made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe in July 2006 and is the only batsman from Bangladesh to score a half century on debut. He is a right-handed middle order batsman and right arm fast-medium pace bowler and played domestic cricket for...
and Mashrafe Mortaza
Mashrafe Mortaza
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He broke into the national side in late 2001 against Zimbabwe and represented Bangladesh before having played a single first-class match...
saw the innings through to 222. In response, Nick Horsley
Nick Horsley
Nicholas Keith Woodward Horsley is a New Zealand cricketer who played in the 2000 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. He also played for the Northern Districts Knights and the Auckland Aces in the State Championship and in the State Shield.-References:...
made a career-best 92 from 99 balls which, along with a quick-fire 55 from 39 balls by James Marshall
James Marshall (cricketer)
James Andrew Hamilton Marshall is a New Zealand cricketer. He is the identical twin brother of Hamish Marshall.The versatile James Marshall can play as both opener and middle-order batsman...
, was enough to see Northern Districts win comfortably.
Bangladesh suffered a further setback during the game, with opening bowler Syed Rasel
Syed Rasel
Syed Rasel is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a left-handed medium-fast swing bowler who came up through the ranks of the under-19s, to the Bangladesh A team, to the full Bangladesh team, while playing for Khulna Division....
injuring his collarbone
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
while fielding. Sajidul Islam
Sajidul Islam
Sajidul Islam is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He was born on 18 January 1988 and is a right-handed batsman and left arm medium fast bowler. He played for Bangladesh Under-17s in 2003/04 and represented the Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy in 2006/07...
was flown into the squad as a replacement after it was determined he had dislocated the left collarbone.
Northern Districts (Game 2)
The second tour match, also against Northern Districts, was eventually abandoned due to rain. After early rain had forced the match to be reduced to 41 overs per innings, Northern won the toss, decided to bat and made 173 for seven from their overs. Although they did not get a chance to bat, the Bangladeshis bowling and fielding efforts were noticeably better than in the first game.Auckland
The third game on tour was against another provincial side, this time AucklandAuckland Aces
The Auckland domestic cricket team represent the Auckland region and are one of six New Zealand domestic first class cricket teams. Governed by the Auckland Cricket Association they are the most successful side having won 26 Plunket Shield titles, eight Domestic One Day Championships and the HRV...
. Having won the toss, Bangladesh chose to bat; apart from a century from opener Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal Khan is a Bangladeshi cricketer who played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. Tamim made his One Day International debut in 2007 and played his first Test the following year. Between December 2010 and September 2011 he was vice-captain of the national side. He plays his...
none of the batsmen really took the chance to get in some batting practice. In response, Auckland overhauled the Bangladeshis total of 242 with ease, with Richard Jones
Richard Jones
-Artists and entertainers:* F. Richard Jones , American filmmaker* Dick Clair , born Richard Jones, American producer, actor and TV writer* Richard Jones , British bass guitarist...
top-scoring with 85 not out and each of the batsmen hitting at least one six in their innings.
Twenty20
A Twenty20Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
charity match was held between Bangladesh and a New Zealand Cricket XI with the funds raised going to people affected by Cyclone Sidr
Cyclone Sidr
Cyclone Sidr was the strongest named cyclone in the Bay of Bengal...
; the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
donated an additional US$250,000 to the funds at the start of the match. Asked to bat first, the New Zealand side had a slow start, having made just 19 runs for the loss of two wickets after 5.3 overs. Most of the batsmen seemed out of form and fell to injudicious shots, with an unbeaten 33 from James Marshall
James Marshall (cricketer)
James Andrew Hamilton Marshall is a New Zealand cricketer. He is the identical twin brother of Hamish Marshall.The versatile James Marshall can play as both opener and middle-order batsman...
seeing the side through to 133 for seven from their 20 overs.
Bangladesh began their innings in a similar manner, losing their opening batsmen early. They recovered with Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful is a Bangladeshi international cricket player and has represented the Bangladesh national cricket team. A top-order batsman with a penchant for flashy strokeplay, he has also been selected to represent ACC Asia XI ODI side...
and Aftab Ahmed
Aftab Ahmed
Aftab Ahmed Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a right hand batsman and right arm medium bowler.- Early life :...
scoring quick runs before being run out; the job was then completed with three overs to spare thanks to Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan is a Bangladeshi international cricketer of the national team. He is an all-rounder, batting left-handed in the middle order and bowling slow left-arm orthodox. He represented Bangladesh at under-19 level, 18 Youth One Day Internationals between 2005 and 2006...
, Mehrab Hossain and top scorer Farhad Reza
Farhad Reza
Farhad Reza is a Bangladeshi cricketer who made his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe in July 2006 and is the only batsman from Bangladesh to score a half century on debut. He is a right-handed middle order batsman and right arm fast-medium pace bowler and played domestic cricket for...
. Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
, who captained the New Zealand side, later said that "it feels very tentative with the batting unit – there's been a lot of focus on it, the performances haven't been great and with that comes a certain amount of tension."
1st ODI
Bangladesh batted first after New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and chose to bowl. Having lost two early wickets, a 97-run partnership between captain Mohammad Ashraful (who scored 70 from 57 balls in an innings that Vettori labeled outstanding) and Tamim Iqbal seemed to set Bangladesh up for a good score. However, they then lost their remaining seven wickets for just 51 runs to end on 201 runs, with coach Jamie SiddonsJamie Siddons
James Darren Siddons , commonly known as "Jamie", is an Australian cricketer, renowned for his involvement in Sheffield Shield first-class cricket over a 16-year career. He initially played for Victoria, and later for South Australia....
admitting
that they had been aiming for 280 when they should have been more concerned with ensuring a total of at least 250. In reply New Zealand cruised to victory with six wickets and 44 balls to spare, led by 88 runs from opener Jamie How.
2nd ODI
Vettori won the toss again, but chose to bat first this time. New Zealand made 335 in their innings, with all six players who batted reaching at least 30 runs. Having started with a 63-run opening partnership, Bangladesh lost three wickets in quick succession and from then on never threatened to overhaul New Zealand's score, with rain ending the match with seven overs remaining. After the game questions were raised about Bangladesh's lack of interest in chasing the total; Siddons defended their tactics saying their plan was to conserve wickets for a final assault, but they lost the momentum after the loss of those three wickets.3rd ODI
The only change to the teams for the third ODI was Michael Mason coming into the New Zealand side for Mark Gillespie who was injured in the second match. Daniel Vettori won the toss for the third time in the series and, as in Auckland in the first match, asked Bangladesh to bat. Bangladesh lost four early wickets to be struggling at 46 for four after 19 overs, and couldn't recover as they were all out for 93 runs in the 38th over. In the process, Vettori became New Zealand's leading one-day wicket taker, overtaking Chris HarrisChris Harris (cricketer)
Chris Zinzan Harris is a former New Zealand cricketer who had become, over the course of the 1990s, a folk-hero in New Zealand cricket....
with the second of his five wickets; in addition, the five-wicket haul made him the top ODI wicket taker in the world for 2007. In reply, New Zealand blitzed the Bangladesh bowlers, taking just six overs to win without losing a wicket. Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...
scored an unbeaten 80 off just 28 balls (a strike rate
Strike rate
Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how frequently a batsman achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how frequently a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely...
of 286) and Jamie How scored 7 not out having only faced eight balls.
1st Test
Once again, Daniel Vettori won the toss and asked Bangladesh to bat first. Their first innings was similar to the final One Day International, with only opener Tamim IqbalTamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal Khan is a Bangladeshi cricketer who played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. Tamim made his One Day International debut in 2007 and played his first Test the following year. Between December 2010 and September 2011 he was vice-captain of the national side. He plays his...
- who scored 53 on debut - offering any real resistance as Bangladesh made 137. Chris Martin
Chris Martin (cricketer)
Christopher Stewart "Chris" Martin is a New Zealand cricketer. A right-arm fast-medium bowler, Martin now plays provincial cricket for Auckland, having formerly played for the Canterbury Wizards...
took four wickets - ending the innings on 117 career wickets, 7th equal on the all-time New Zealand list with Richard Collinge
Richard Collinge
Richard Owen Collinge was a New Zealand cricketer.-Career:Collinge bowled left arm fast medium, ending his long run with both arms stretching upwards and swinging the ball. He was New Zealand Cricket Almanack Player of the Year in 1971.He pitched the ball up and relied on late movement...
- and Jacob Oram
Jacob Oram
Jacob David Philip Oram is a New Zealand cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His abilities with both bat and ball has made him a regular fixture in the current New Zealand International sides...
took three.
In response New Zealand overtook the total on the first day, reaching 156/4 by stumps. The innings was led by Matthew Bell, playing his first test since 2001, who was 74 not out at the end of the first day's play. He reached his second test century in the morning session of the second day before being dismissed by Mohammad Ashraful. Jacob Oram also reached three figures, top-scoring with 117; however the rest of the batsmen did not make any major contribution with Daniel Vettori's 32 being the third highest score and only four players making more than twenty. Dismissing New Zealand for 357 marked the first time in seven tests that the Bangladeshi bowlers had dismissed a batting side.
Trailing by 220 runs, Bangladesh's second innings started in a markedly different manner to their first. Openers Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique were both unbeaten at stumps on day two, their 148-run stand breaking the Bangladeshi record for the highest opening partnership. The batsmen, both playing in their first Test match, had reached 72 and 69 respectively at the end of the day's play. However the pair were dismissed early on day three, with Bangladesh then collapsing to be 206/5 at lunch before being dismissed for 254. Needing just 35 runs for the victory, New Zealand wrapped the match up before tea on the third day with only the loss of Craig Cumming for four.
Vettori later said that he had been too attacking with the field settings at the start of the Bangladeshi second innings, and that advice from former captain Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
and coach John Bracewell
John Bracewell
John Garry Bracewell is a New Zealand cricketer and coach. He played 41 Test matches between 1979-80 and 1990, as well as 53 One Day Internationals. He has been the coach of the New Zealand cricket team since the autumn of 2003...
overnight led to a changed game plan on the third day with the desired results.
2nd Test
The second test started in much the same way as the first, with Daniel Vettori winning his ninth toss in a row and again asking Bangladesh to bat first. Their batting collapsed in much the same way as the first innings of the Dunedin test as they went to lunch at 86 for five. Chris Martin and Iain O'BrienIain O'Brien
Iain Edward O'Brien is a New Zealand cricketer who specialises in pace bowling. He also plays for Wellington, Leicestershire County Cricket Club and recently, the Middlesex County Cricket Club....
were the main wicket-takers with five and three wickets respectively as Bangladesh were dismissed for 143. Martin's five wicket haul was his eighth in tests and moved him up to sixth on New Zealand's all-time wicket taking list, equal with Ewen Chatfield
Ewen Chatfield
Ewen John Chatfield is a former cricketer who played 43 Tests and 114 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. A medium-pace bowler, his chief weapon was his accuracy, giving him economical bowling figures, although he occasionally would come in for punishment in the late stages of limited overs...
on 123 wickets.
In response, New Zealand came within nine runs at the end of the first days play as they finished on 134/3. Craig Cumming
Craig Cumming
Craig Derek Cumming is a New Zealand cricketer. He has played for the New Zealand cricket team in One Day Internationals and Tests...
, whose spot in the side was under pressure from Jamie How
Jamie How
Jamie Michael How is a cricketer who plays Test match, One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket for New Zealand. He attended Palmerston North Boys' High School. In New Zealand domestic cricket, he plays for and captains Central Districts. How is a steady scoring, right-handed...
, made 42 before being dismissed leg before wicket
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
for the third innings in a row. At the close of play, Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
was unbeaten on 39 as he looked for his first test century on his home ground. On the second morning, Bangladesh was guilty of dropping four catches in the first 90 minutes before finally dismissing Mathew Sinclair. Fleming was also dropped from a skied shot before being dismissed for 87 off a similar shot. Vettori and Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...
put together an 81 run partnership at 5.28 runs per over before McCullum was dismissed; Vettori finished as the top scorer with 94. Despite leading by 250 runs after being dismissed for 393 there was some criticism of the ability of the batsmen to carry on to large scores, with five batsmen scoring at least 40 but none being able to break 100.
The Bangladeshi second innings did not start any better than the first. With Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal
Tamim Iqbal Khan is a Bangladeshi cricketer who played in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka. Tamim made his One Day International debut in 2007 and played his first Test the following year. Between December 2010 and September 2011 he was vice-captain of the national side. He plays his...
unable to open the batting having fractured his left thumb dropping one of the catches they had lost five wickets by stumps on the second day. All of the wickets had been caught behind the wicket, with wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
McCullum taking one and the remainder being caught by the slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
s. At the end of the day's play, Bangladesh were 51/5 needing a further 199 runs to make New Zealand bat again and thus avoid an innings defeat. On the third day, the Black Caps required only 25 more overs to dismiss Bangladesh for an innings win. Only Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan is a Bangladeshi international cricketer of the national team. He is an all-rounder, batting left-handed in the middle order and bowling slow left-arm orthodox. He represented Bangladesh at under-19 level, 18 Youth One Day Internationals between 2005 and 2006...
offered any resistance, finishing on an unbeaten 41. Equally telling was that Bangladesh's highest-scoring partnership in their second innings was 30 on the last wicket.