Tigers look for turn of T20 fortunes in NZ

Bangladesh team were in a festive mood in Napier, having spent a two-day Christmas break ahead of their three-match T20I series against hosts New Zealand starting tomorrow with the first game at McLean Park.

Having ended the three-match ODI series with their first-ever win against New Zealand on Kiwi soil, the Tigers were in a good mood. Liton Das, Shoriful Islam, and a few others roamed around the coastal city on New Zealand's North Island, enjoying the scenic beauty.

The Tigers then attended a team dinner later in the evening yesterday.

Former Bangladesh opener Al Shahriar Rokon, who now lives in Napier, visited the cricketers at the Scenic Hotel.

Although Bangladesh lost the three-match ODI series 2-1, skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and his troops will be confident after registering a dominating nine-wicket win in the final ODI, in which they bundled the Kiwis out for their lowest-ever ODI total against the Tigers -- courtesy of a fiery bowling display from the pacers.

The ODI triumph by the Tigers following a historic triumph in the longest format in New Zealand the previous year when Bangladesh won a Test against the hosts at Mount Maunganui.

However, it will be a tough task for the Tigers in T20Is. Bangladesh have managed only three wins against the Kiwis in 17 T20Is, with all those victories coming on home soil. The Tigers suffered defeats in all the nine T20Is they played against New Zealand in New Zealand.

One thing that would give the Tigers some belief and hope is the fact that they have experienced a turn of fortunes in the format this year. Apart from the three T20Is played in the Asian Games, Bangladesh played all their remaining eight T20Is this year at home and won seven of them, including a 3-0 whitewash of the defending champions England.

This will be the Tigers' first and only T20I series overseas in 2023 and the challenge for Najmul Hossain Shanto and Chandika Hathurusingha-led Bangladesh will be to prove their mettle in the format overseas by registering their first-ever T20I win against the Kiwis in their backyard.