Cricket: Blackcaps' backs to the wall as Bangladesh chase history-making series victory on Kiwi soil

With any chance of a Twenty20 International series against Bangladesh now gone, the Blackcaps will be playing to at the very least preserve their unbeaten record against the tourists on Sunday.  

Since the invention of Twenty20 cricket at the international level, the Blackcaps have played the Tigers in five previous bilateral series, winning four and losing one.  

That one defeat came away from home in 2021, where a second-string side were outplayed in unfamiliar spinning conditions, as the first-choice squad travelled to the UAE for the T20 World Cup that year.

 

Until the series opener on Wednesday, Bangladesh had never won a Twenty20 against New Zealand in Aotearoa, however that perfect record fell with a five-wicket Blackcaps loss in Napier.

On Friday, the Blackcaps' chances of getting back in the series were washed away after just 11 overs, when rain forced a no result in game two at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval.  

Now, with one game left to play, the best the Blackcaps can hope for is a 1-1 draw at best, while losing would give Bangladesh a first series win - in any format - in New Zealand.  

For coach Gary Stead, the situation of being a must-win encounter is welcome, given a T20 World Cup to come later this year, and the experience needed to play knockout cricket.  

"We go into every game trying to win it," said Stead. "When you get to this situation of a tight series, you can put a whole lot of things on the line.  

"It could be a World Cup game in the future that you have to win.   

"That's what excites me about the game; we get to see guys under real pressure. They know the consequences of winning and not winning a series.

"It's still [about] going out and playing good cricket on the day."  

Despite arriving in New Zealand having never won a white ball match against the Blackcaps in Aotearoa, Bangladesh's recent record now makes for very good reading.

Aside from taking the series opener, the visitors also ended their wait for an ODI victory against New Zealand on Kiwi soil when they humiliated the Blackcaps in Napier last week.  

But despite the nature of both wins, where Bangladesh's bowlers eradicated any hopes of defendable totals from the Kiwi batters, Stead is happy to see his side put in tough situations in familiar surroundings.  

"Bangladesh are a good side and they've played really well," he added.  

"They put us under pressure at Napier, we were probably 20-30 runs short of what would have been an exciting game.  

"But in the end, I thought we fought really hard with the ball and in the field. To get them so close and have a chance of maybe snatching victory was good for us."  

If the Blackcaps needed a boost, though, they can take solace from the return of white ball captain Kane Williamson.  

While rested for the ODI and T20 series due to workload management, in a year that saw him return from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in six months instead of nine, Williamson has linked up with the side at the Mount - just a stone's throw away from his home in the Bay of Plenty.  

And despite finding themselves in such a precarious position, Stead reinforced the importance of allowing players like Williamson to have a break with one of the biggest home summers in recent memory on the cards, notably in test cricket.  

"We obviously gave a number of players a break when they came back from the Bangladesh test series," said Stead. 

"That's because most of them were away from mid-August, with the World Cup, England series and Bangladesh series as well.  

"It's important for us to make sure we manage those resources throughout the whole season. For some of those guys, it meant this series was one where they got a break.  

"It's been good the last few days, the likes of Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson have been back training with the guys.  

"It's been good to see them down here in readiness for the big summer that's ahead."  

The Blackcaps will face Pakistan in five T20s in mid-January, before two tests against South Africa in February, as well as three T20s and two tests against Australia to end the summer. 

With any chance of a Twenty20 International series against Bangladesh now gone, the Blackcaps will be playing to at the very least preserve their unbeaten record against the tourists on Sunday.  

Since the invention of Twenty20 cricket at the international level, the Blackcaps have played the Tigers in five previous bilateral series, winning four and losing one.  

That one defeat came away from home in 2021, where a second-string side were outplayed in unfamiliar spinning conditions, as the first-choice squad travelled to the UAE for the T20 World Cup that year.

 

Until the series opener on Wednesday, Bangladesh had never won a Twenty20 against New Zealand in Aotearoa, however that perfect record fell with a five-wicket Blackcaps loss in Napier.

On Friday, the Blackcaps' chances of getting back in the series were washed away after just 11 overs, when rain forced a no result in game two at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval.  

Now, with one game left to play, the best the Blackcaps can hope for is a 1-1 draw at best, while losing would give Bangladesh a first series win - in any format - in New Zealand.  

For coach Gary Stead, the situation of being a must-win encounter is welcome, given a T20 World Cup to come later this year, and the experience needed to play knockout cricket.  

"We go into every game trying to win it," said Stead. "When you get to this situation of a tight series, you can put a whole lot of things on the line.  

"It could be a World Cup game in the future that you have to win.   

"That's what excites me about the game; we get to see guys under real pressure. They know the consequences of winning and not winning a series.

"It's still [about] going out and playing good cricket on the day."  

Despite arriving in New Zealand having never won a white ball match against the Blackcaps in Aotearoa, Bangladesh's recent record now makes for very good reading.

Aside from taking the series opener, the visitors also ended their wait for an ODI victory against New Zealand on Kiwi soil when they humiliated the Blackcaps in Napier last week.  

But despite the nature of both wins, where Bangladesh's bowlers eradicated any hopes of defendable totals from the Kiwi batters, Stead is happy to see his side put in tough situations in familiar surroundings.  

"Bangladesh are a good side and they've played really well," he added.  

"They put us under pressure at Napier, we were probably 20-30 runs short of what would have been an exciting game.  

"But in the end, I thought we fought really hard with the ball and in the field. To get them so close and have a chance of maybe snatching victory was good for us."  

If the Blackcaps needed a boost, though, they can take solace from the return of white ball captain Kane Williamson.  

While rested for the ODI and T20 series due to workload management, in a year that saw him return from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in six months instead of nine, Williamson has linked up with the side at the Mount - just a stone's throw away from his home in the Bay of Plenty.  

And despite finding themselves in such a precarious position, Stead reinforced the importance of allowing players like Williamson to have a break with one of the biggest home summers in recent memory on the cards, notably in test cricket.  

"We obviously gave a number of players a break when they came back from the Bangladesh test series," said Stead. 

"That's because most of them were away from mid-August, with the World Cup, England series and Bangladesh series as well.  

"It's important for us to make sure we manage those resources throughout the whole season. For some of those guys, it meant this series was one where they got a break.  

"It's been good the last few days, the likes of Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson have been back training with the guys.  

"It's been good to see them down here in readiness for the big summer that's ahead."  

The Blackcaps will face Pakistan in five T20s in mid-January, before two tests against South Africa in February, as well as three T20s and two tests against Australia to end the summer. 

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