'Key will be to not lose too many wickets in first 10 overs’
According to batting coach Jon Lewis, Bangladesh's success in the third and final ODI in Wellington tomorrow will heavily depend on how well the batsmen negotiate the likes of New Zealand pacers Trent Boult and Matt Henry in the first 10 overs.
Lewis believed that the key will be to not lose more than one wicket even if that meant scoring around 30-35 in the first 10 overs.
Bangladesh lost early wickets in both the ODIs in Dunedin and Christchurch. While the Tigers managed to recover in the second ODI in Christchurch and put up a decent total on the board, a total batting fiasco in the first ODI in Dunedin saw Tigers fold for a meagre 131.
"The important thing for us against the new ball is to not allow people like Trent Boult and Matt Henry to do too much damage to us. I think any runs that we don't get in the first 10 [overs] we always feel that we will be able to make them during the middle and the latter period so long as we have got those established batsmen at the crease and that we are not trying to rebuild the innings too much.
"So, if we only get to 30-35 or 40 [runs] in the first 10 overs, if we are none or one down then we will feel that we have probably done okay. The problem in Dunedin was that we were two or three down for fifty and that allowed New Zealand to control the innings too much. In Christchurch we showed that we managed to create a partnership early on between Soumya [Sarkar] and Tamim [Iqbal] and that allowed [Mohammad] Mithun to kick on and go towards a decent score," said Lewis during a press conference in Wellington today.
Bangladesh batsmen looked very shaky, especially during the initial period of the game, while playing the outside off deliveries. And it usually is the extra pace and bounce that trouble the batsmen more while playing in Kiwi conditions. Lewis, former England cricketer, explained things that batsmen could do to survive in such conditions.
"Trying to maybe getting a little closer to the line of the ball, try not to look at the off-side so much and try to keep the leg-side as an option is something which you can do here in New Zealand with the ball bouncing above the stumps more than it does in Dhaka or Chittagong," added Lewis.
He also thought that Tamim's innings at the top will be very important for Bangladesh to get a good start in the game.
"I think the big aspect of batting overseas for Bangladesh players is dealing with a bit more bounce and dealing with quality seam bowling with the new ball as well. Tamim has got a little more experience than most of the guys in the squad. And using his role to try and create a foundation for the second half of the innings is important for us," Lewis concluded.