Tour moves to Dunedin
Bangladesh's disappointing tour of New Zealand so far shifted cities as Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and his troops, having already lost the three-match ODI series in Christchurch on Saturday, reached Dunedin yesterday with the aim of avoiding the humiliation of being whitewashed when they take on the hosts in the third match on February 20.
The Bangladesh team flew to Christchurch without Mashrafe and Tamim Iqbal, who yet again avoided flying in a small aircraft and travelled by road. They missed the warm welcome at the Dunedin airport where the team were greeted by the traditional Haka dance and there were also a few Bangladeshi expatriates present to boost the morale of the visitors.
New Zealand has remained a cursed place for the Tigers, where they are yet to beat the hosts in any format and the tough seaming conditions have continued to test the visitors to the limit.
It's the Tigers' batting failure, especially the top order that has not shown any sort of resistance in the first two games, that has remained one of the biggest concerns for the team management.
Adding to that, there was more bad news for Bangladesh as the only in-form batsman -- Mohammad Mithun, who struck consecutive fifties in the first two ODIs -- has suffered a hamstring injury while taking a short single during the second ODI Christchurch.
The right-hander will undergo a scan today in Dunedin and it is still uncertain whether he will be able to take part in the third and final ODI on February 20.
The experienced Mushfiqur Rahim is also struggling with a pre-existing rib cage injury which he sustained during the Asia Cup last year. He is also experiencing pain in his wrist along with a side strain injury that he sustained during the practice match ahead of the ODI series on February 10.
He too is under observation and if the two cricketers are not able to recover on time it will be even worse for the visitors who are eying their first ever win in New Zealand.
Talking about adjusting to the tough New Zealand conditions, Dunedin will also test the Tigers as the southern part of the island is one of the chilliest parts of the country.
Bangladesh have played just once at the University Oval in Dunedin back in 2010, which they lost by five wickets after posting a small total of 188 for five in fifty overs, during which Mushfiqur top-scored with 86.
None of the Bangladeshi players had spoken to the media yesterday since arriving in Dunedin and the cricketers, with their morale understandably low, will practise today at Logan Park.
It will be important for the senior members of the side like Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah Riyad to step up as they were disappointing in the two ODIs and need to provide the much needed stability in the batting department, which at the moment is missing from the Tigers.
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