It was the stifling heat coupled with the sultry air from the Bay that greeted the New Zealand team as they entered the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday for their final practice ahead of the deciding one-day match against Bangladesh.But New Zealand vice-captain Brendon McCullum took that in his stride while making a bold declaration they were going to brave the itchy weather and the nature of typical subcontinent wicket to play much better cricket in the third game to confirm another series victory against the Tigers.“It's not too bad (a condition). This is what we try to adjust with when we come to the subcontinent,” said the wicketkeeper-batsman in a pre-training press briefing.McCullum also said this series deserves a good finish after the first two low-scoring games in Dhaka."I mean good cricket waits for the day. The series is one all and it's great news for fans. Now we want to put up a high scoring game what the series deserve.”The big-hitting batsman himself needs a big score after unimpressive showings in the first two games where his contribution was 14 and 12 respectively. It however hardly reflected what he is capable of. Better known as a nightmare for bowlers, McCullum struck a stunning 30-ball 80 against the Tigers to finish off the chase in just six overs, which is a one-day record.Now the question is can Bangladesh bowlers be able to quell him for a third time?
The flat pitch in Chittagong however speaks in favour of the dashing right-hander.McCullum also warned that he was looking forward to making his presence felt in the series."Yeah, I haven't played yet, tomorrow [Tuesday] is a great opportunity to try and get big runs. I am confident that I will be able to play my natural game and contribute some runs for my team if I get a start,” he said.The tourists' vice-captain said that they were disappointed with their batting in the first two games and also explained the reason behind the poor showings.“We just came out from an off season. Obviously we have got to try to make some adjustments on the subcontinent wickets. Our top-order batting has been disappointing so far but hope we will try to rectify that tomorrow,” he said.
He dismissed the notion that they took the Tigers lightly because of their previous record. "No, not at all. We knew that they were going to be a difficult opposition in their own condition and they bowled very well early on, did not allow us to score runs in this sort wicket.“I don't think the 1-1 position is unusual because Bangladesh is a good side. They have knocked down some good teams in the last few years. Certainly they have some potentials and quite some hope. In the first game they played very well. We had to fight in the last game to level the series and that gave us the opportunity tomorrow to try and win the series and if we can do that it will be very a hard fought win,” he said while praising his opponents.
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO:
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