Tigers reach Wellington

Bangladesh national cricket team reached Wellington on Wednesday to play the third and final fixture of the three-match ODI series against the odds-on favourites New Zealand after the second ODI outing in Christchurch on Tuesday.

The Tigers staged a good fight in the second ODI despite their five-wicket loss yesterday and having overcome their disappointment of poor performances in the first ODI, will be hoping that they can finally clinch their first victory in the Kiwi soil.

Jaded Tigers reached their team hotel on Wednesday following an hour-long air journey and that there was not much to do apart from recovery sessions a day after yesterday’s closing-fighting match.

“We finished a swimming session for recovery work,” Taskin Ahmed said.

“After swimming and jacuzzi we also did some stretching because we have back-to-back games and a lot of travelling in between,” Taskin told the media via a video message after reaching the New Zealand capital.

The third ODI will be played at Wellington on March 26 before the Tigers leave for Hamilton to play the opening fixture of the three-match T20I series. Tigers will miss two of their key and cog players like Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, who skipped the tour to stay with his expecting wife, who gave birth to a baby boy recently after two successive daughters Alayna Hasan and Errum Hasan. Tamim, on the other hand, will not be available for his injury.

In absence of the two vital players, It would be tough for the visiting side to build up a dogged resistance against the Black Cap’s quality pace attack to win at least a match in the shorter format of cricket.

The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) meanwhile announced a comparatively young T20 side against the Shakib-Tamim less Tigers for the T20 series. Captain Kane Williamson and speedster Trent Boult have been rested for their respective injuries.

Both Williamson and Boult will then fly to India for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being recuperated from their injuries.        

The T20s will be played at Hamilton, Napier and Auckland on March 28, 30 and April respectively.