Wellington memories inspire Tigers

Before facing New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, Bangladesh Test team cricketers are seeking inspiration from the Test match they played in Wellington almost five years back.

The Tigers have played 32 matches against New Zealand in New Zealand so far but are to secure a single win.

The chances of bettering the situation are practically low as New Zealand are the current holders of the ICC World Test Championship while Bangladesh is yet to register their first win in the tournament, which is running for the second cycle.

In picturesque New Zealand, Bangladesh cricketers mostly have horrific memories that range from surviving a massacre at Christchurch to getting bludgeoned by Brendon MacCallum just before the New Year’s Eve of 2008.

Bangladesh suffered defeats in the two-Test series against Pakistan at home before taking the flight to New Zealand, and hardly got enough time to train due to the lengthy quarantine period after spin bowling coach Rangana Herath tested covid-19 positive.

Some of the cricketers started growing cabin fever due to their long isolation and even wanted to come home. At one point, the series was uncertain, but all the confusions are over now as the Bay Oval is ready to welcome fans for the New Zealand summer.

Bangladesh had a modest outing in the practice match where Bangladesh XI scored 269-8 in 76.4 overs, where both Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim scored half-centuries.

But opener Shadman Islam’s woe continues as he was out for a duck after scoring only 20 runs across four innings against Pakistan at home.

The top-order does not look good, and the absence of stalwarts like Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan will be felt heavily.

Bangladesh are seeking inspiration from the Wellington Test from their tour of 2017, where Shakib Al Hasan scored his only double century and Mushfiq also scored 159 runs to take Bangladesh to 595 runs against New Zealand.

So far, that was the best batting display by Bangladesh in New Zealand, and the Tigers must match or better their previous best to put the hosts under pressure.

New Zealand will be missing their regular skipper Kane Williamson, who scored a double hundred against Bangladesh in 2019 and amassed 683 runs so far against the Tigers in just six Test matches.

If this is the good news for the Tigers, the bad news is Devon Conway is back in the Blackcaps team after missing out on the ICC T20 World Cup final and the tour of India due to his freak injury, which happened after he punched his bat out of frustration.

Conway played in the warm-up game for NZ XI, and he was out for a duck, but in the real scenario, he could be the dangerman. In three one-day internationals against Bangladesh, he amassed 225 runs earlier this year.

Ross Tylor announced that the series against Bangladesh will be his swan song in international cricket. Against Bangladesh, he also poses 647 runs, and he must be hungry to end on a high note.

New Zealand dropped Ajaj Patel, who picked 10 wickets in an innings in the very last Test they played and included Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry in the squad. That indicates that the Blackcaps will attack with lots of fast and bouncy deliveries to test the characters of the Bangladesh batsmen.

Since 2001, from Bangladesh’s first visit to New Zealand that has been the story, without changing much.

Another year to come, and Bangladesh will begin 2022 with the Test match against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, but the scenario might remain unchanged.