Tigers come up short

The wicket was brown and it was the home team who feasted on a placid surface much to the delight of a full house at the Hagley Oval on Boxing Day.

The Black Caps put on 341 for seven, their joint-highest score at this oval-shape ground, leaving Bangladesh a mountain to climb to salvage the first one-dayer of the three-match series in Christchurch yesterday. It was also New Zealand's highest score against Bangladesh, surpassing their previous best of 338, interestingly in the first ODI between the two teams in Sharjah in 1990.

Bangladesh, in their chase, scored 264 for nine in 44.5 overs. Apart from the 77-run defeat, the Tigers also suffered an injury blow to wicketkeeper-batsman and Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who limped off the ground with a hamstring injury after scoring 42.

Whether Mushfiqur, a key component of the team, will be able to recover before the second game in Nelson on December 29 is a burning question for the Tigers. However, they have other pressing issues they need to sort out after a match where they were not competitive in every aspect of the game.   

It was no surprise when the home captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat. His decision was vindicated in the form of a record fifth-wicket stand of 158 between opener Tim Latham and middle-order batsman Colin Munro. Latham hit a magnificent 137 while Munro struck a fluent 87.

But this partnership was a bolt from the blue for the Tigers after the dismissal of the home side's two star batsmen -- opener Martin Guptill (15) and skipper Kane Willimson (31).

Left-arm pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman, on his comeback match, started well and dismissed Guptill, who became the latest victim of a Fizz cutter, ballooning an attempted whip to leg to mid off where Soumya Sarkar completed a good catch. Coming on as first change, Taskin had Williamson with a pitched-up delivery that the right-hander edged to Mushfiqur behind the wicket. Bangladesh's all-season perform Shakib Al Hasan then dismissed Neil Broom (22) and James Neeshan (12), leaving the game in the balance.

But since then the game irrevocably headed the home side's way. There was no denying that Latham, the otherwise slow-going batsman in the New Zealand ranks, played a fabulous innings that contained seven fours and four sixes and Munro did what he knows best -- hitting the ball a long way. But the lack of necessary discipline in the Bangladesh pace bowling department also contributed to that monumental fifth-wicket stand.

Since the arrival of Mustafizur in the national team, he always played the role of go-to man for Mashrafe when the going gets tough. But his introduction for a second spell in the 34th over was very unproductive. He might have conceded two runs in his first over, but went for too many runs in his next two. Besides, he failed to give the breakthrough desperately needed at that time. Taskin also struggled with his line and length. Although Mashrafe used his world of experience to remain economical for his nine overs, the forced change of end in an attempt to accommodate Mustafizur to bowl with the wind completely backfired. Mashrafe conceded 17 runs in his last over.

Mustafizur was not at the top of his pace, which perhaps contributed to the ineffectiveness of his cutters. He will definitely improve in the coming days. But Taskin, as Mashrafe later pointed out, was short of ideas with all those bouncers smashed out of the park.

The ground fielding left a lot to be desired. And the catching was poor. Mahmudullah is one of the better fielders in the team but he dropped a sitter after covering the ground at the long-off boundary. Young Mosaddek Hossain dropped another easy catch and it has become quite customary for Mushfiqur to drop something in every game.

Before focusing on how Bangladesh batted, one riddle needs to be addressed. Is 341 a total too big in the context of the modern one-day game? The general notion is that it is too tough to chase down but if it creeps into the mind of a team then it is not forward thinking. We will have to accept that the bowlers might have a bad day and the batting has to back it up on a placid wicket and on a ground like Hagley Oval. Considering the next two games in Nelson, where the Tigers are supposed to get more batting-friendly wickets, the Bangladesh cricket team will have to accept that they might be up against a similar score.

There were no demons in the Hagley Oval surface and the home side's two most lethal fast bowlers, Trent Boult and Tim Southee, perhaps got some undue respect early in the Bangladesh innings. A cautious approach is understandable but so many dot balls certainly did not help Bangladesh's cause.

Imrul Kayes was caught down the leg side while attempting a pull shot. It was however not the way he was dismissed that amused many but his decision to ask for a review, which was turned down by the third umpire. A batsman can be confused if he is adjudged leg before, but he is supposed to be the best person to know if a bouncer has brushed his bat or gloves, which it clearly did on this occasion.

I think the Bangladesh think-tank has come to a cardinal point to decide whether to continue with Soumya Sarkar or relegate him for some time after the way he got out -- a tame catch to mid-off from a totally confused batsman. Tamim Iqbal has done all the hard work for a 59-ball 38 but when it was about time to play catch up, he erred. Mahmudullah completed a forgettable day, unwisely slashing a widish delivery.

Shakib scored a fluent 59 off 54 balls but got carried away when people started to believe that this might be the innings he would carry on till the end. Young Mosaddek played a superb knock, especially his clean hitting against the spinner was a treat to watch. But his maiden, unbeaten half-century was for a lost cause.

Before the start of the game a policeman, on duty at the main entrance of the venue, while responding to an enthusiastic Kiwi fan's remark that the match would be exciting said: “Yes, but it will be short.”

And definitely the Tigers were on the shorter side yesterday.