Cricket: Bangladesh, NZ look to end dismal run

Sides to open two-match Test series campaign in Chittagong today.


Afp October 08, 2013
New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum plays a shot during a practice session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on October 8, 2013. PHOTO: AFP

CHITTAGONG: Test cricket's underachievers New Zealand and Bangladesh will strive to resurrect their fortunes after a dismal run when they open a two-match series in Chittagong today.

Bangladesh are tottering at the bottom of the Test table, lower than fellow woodenspooners Zimbabwe, while New Zealand are ranked just above Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in eighth place.

Skipper Brendon McCullum and coach Mike Hesson will hope to build on New Zealand's overwhelming unbeaten record gainst Bangladesh, having won eight of nine Tests so far and drawn one.

But McCullum admitted the embarrassing 4-0 rout suffered by the Black Caps in a one-day series in Bangladesh in 2010 still haunted the tourists.



"That series was a good lesson of what not to do," said McCullum. "It still hurts. It was a damaging tour for many people. "It hurt a lot of people's careers and hurt our country as well.

"The big challenge for us is to ensure we get a series win across all three formats of the game. That's our expectation and we are better prepared for it." The tourists' preparations for the first Test have been hampered by bad weather, which forced their lone three-day practice match in Chittagong to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Rain has also been forecast for the entire week. Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said the one-day success against the Black Caps in 2010 will count for little when the Test starts today. "We are obviously motivated by that win, but Test cricket is different, " said Rahim.

"The bigger challenge is with ourselves, rather than against them, because we are playing Tests after a gap of nearly six months.” AFP

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2013.

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