Bangladesh aim for another upset

Match facts

October 11, 2008
Start time 9.00am (0300 GMT)

Big Picture

Thursday's win over New Zealand would have brought much relief but the pressure will be on Bangladesh to play the 'perfect game' once more in the remaining two ODIs. Their only ODI series wins against a Test-playing nation have come against Zimbabwe, and if Mohammad Ashraful and Co. can get it right on Saturday, New Zealand could well join the list.

With hopes of the No. 2 ODI ranking out of the window, Daniel Vettori's team will need to recoup to avoid further embarrassment. Bangladesh outsmarted them in all three departments in the first game, and New Zealand could not recover after an undisciplined approach from their batsmen on a sticky pitch. Bangladesh's batsmen are often mocked for their impatience, but it was their patience and simple approach that stood out as they chased 202.

Pitch & conditions

Even if the game will be played on a different pitch, conditions are likely to be similar. Most of New Zealand's batsmen, apart from Jacob Oram, failed because they couldn't adjust to the slowness and low bounce. The overnight rain did aid Mashrafe Mortaza in his first spell (8-3-19-3) on Thursday, and forecasts suggest 20% chance of rains. New Zealand will hope they get the advantage this time around, if it rains that is.

Form guide (last 5 ODIs, most recent first)

New Zealand LWWWW
Bangladesh WLLLL

Watch out for

Mashrafe Mortaza: After his superb spell that broke the back of the New Zealand top order, expectations will soar from Bangladesh's bowling spearhead. Not that it bothers Mortaza, who has proved in the past he can trouble the batsman no matter what the conditions with his patience and consistency.

Ross Taylor: After his dismal first outing in Bangladesh, Taylor will look forward to bouncing back strongly and delight the crowds with his wide array of strokes.

The Powerplays: New Zealand were the first batting team to use the Powerplay under the new rules. The timing for both teams was similar: overs 38 to 42 for New Zealand and 37 to 41 for Bangladesh. New Zealand scored 35, Bangladesh 34.

Team news

It's unlikely Bangladesh will tinker with a winning combination. However, Syed Rasel bowled only two overs in the first game, and he could make way for Mahbubul Alam's debut.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique 3 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Naeem Islam, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Syed Rasel.

New Zealand might opt for a second spinner in Jeetan Patel.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jamie How, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Daniel Flynn, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle Mills.

Stats & Trivia

Bangladesh went winless for 28 games after the last win over a Test-playing nation, against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. After Thursday's result, they will hope for another win without much delay.

Quotes

"They played smarter than us. We didn't bat particularly well and they bowled particularly well as well. It [the loss] was a combination of them playing very well and us playing very poorly, but they deserved the victory."
Jamie How, the New Zealand batsman, reflects on the lessons learnt from the defeat in the first ODI.

"If we do well in all three departments then we stand a good chance of being competitive. Yesterday's performance was proof of that and it should pave the way for more wins."
Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh's captain, outlines the formula for his team to achieve victories.

"I don't think it's a complete train wreck at the moment. It's one game, and it's our first game for three months."
It isn't a crisis, Jacob Oram clarifies