Disappointment abounds after 27th straight loss
Before the start of the New Zealand tour, Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal was hopeful of re-writing history and registering a first international win for the Tigers in the country after losing all 26 games across all formats in the nation.
Make that 27.
Bangladesh faced a crushing eight-wicket defeat to New Zealand after a helpless batting performance, which saw them bundled out for 130 runs -- their lowest total after coming in to bat first in the last three years.
The hope of registering a first win against the hosts at their den on Saturday is still one Bangladesh can fulfill on the upcoming matches on the tour, but for that the Tigers will have to show far more authority, especially with the bat.
Going back to the opening game of the three-match ODI series in Dunedin on Saturday, Tamim and his troops had a batting approach that reminded Bangladeshi fans of age-old batting displays from the Tigers.
During Bangladesh's early days in international cricket, surviving and struggling against quality seamers was a regular occcurence and Bangladesh's batting approach seemed exactly the same in the first ODI against the likes of Trent Boult and James Neesham.
New Zealand are probably among the very few countries where Bangladesh have travelled frequently in the recent past, but they are still lacking when it comes to adapting and adjusting to conditions.
Pacers usually get a lot of purchase from the bouncy New Zealand tracks and thst proved the case in Dunedin with overcast conditions early on. The Tigers simply could not figure out the right approach.
The experienced Tamim started off confidently with a gorgeous six to Boult with an uppercut which was followed by a boundary on the leg side, but the left hander was dismissed in a typical fast bowlers' trap.
After beating the southpaw with two out-swinging deliveries, Boult produced a straight delivery that undid Tamim, trapping him leg-before on 13 and signalling the start of the disaster for the visitors.
Soumya Sarkar was promoted to number three due to his ability to face quality pacers but the left-hander departed in soft fashion, handing a simple catch while going for a slash to a delivery relatively close to his body from Boult.
The inability to get used to the pace of the surface, which offered swing and bounce, proved too difficult for the Bangladeshi batters.
Liton Das, despite doing all the hard work to occupy the crease, eventually became another culprit of being dismissed in soft manner off Neesham.
Things went from bad to worse since then and despite some sort of fight from two experienced batsmen Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim -- who were the only two batters to go past the twenties -- there was nothing positive for Tamim.
"If we want to overcome such a situation, we need to score at least 270-280 runs so that the bowlers can get something to defend. As I said, one of the top five batters needs to score big and carry the innings. But if we are unable to do that from the top five, then its always difficult, especially in such conditions," said Tamim.
The Bangladesh fans back home, who woke up at 4:00am to watch the Tigers play, are perhaps still trying to overcome the hangover of the defeat, one that they will feel till the second game on Tuesday in Christchurch.