At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, the focus was not on Bangladesh’s performance in their third and series-deciding match against New Zealand because of all the rumors surrounding the release of the World Cup squad. Instead, the focus was on the rumors surrounding the announcement of the World Cup squad.
The question of whether or not Tamim Iqbal would be included in the World Cup roster generated significantly more interest than how the Bangladesh team would play in their final ODI before to the rapidly approaching showcase event the following month.
The home team, however, was unable to put together a good batting performance and ended up losing by seven wickets. As a result, New Zealand was able to glide to victory and win the series 2-0.
The result was Bangladesh’s first series loss against New Zealand in fifteen years, and as a result, the Tigers will enter the World Cup with very little momentum behind them.
Stand-in skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who made his debut as an ODI leader with an innings-high score of 76, advised the squad that they are not overly concerned about their collective batting form despite the fact that they have not been able to surpass 200 in either of their most recent two matches.
“Our batting lineup was unable to rack up significant runs. The majority of us were able to start, but none of us made significant scores. I believe the outcome would have been different if I had batted till the very end. We needed to establish two significant collaborations. Yesterday, during the post-game presentation ceremony, Shanto expressed his hope that the hitters would be more responsible the next time around and bat for a longer period of time.
Before the game, Bangladesh made four substitutions to the eleven players they had used in the previous match. Shanto was brought into the series for the first time, along with Mushfiqur Rahim, Shoriful Islam, and Zakir Hossain, the latter of whom made his One-Day International debut.
Even though they had opted to bat first, Bangladesh were in a difficult position at 35 for three after the first six overs. The young opening batsman Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who was selected for the World Cup squad, hit five runs, but Zakir was also out for a low score.
Shanto, on the other hand, looked solid as he hammered his sixth one-day international fifty to remain the sole bright spot in the Tigers’ batting line. Shanto had previously been injured in his hamstring but had recovered from the injury.
Shanto also accomplished a noteworthy goal by being the Bangladeshi player with the highest run total on their ODI leadership debut. He surpassed Aminul Islam Bulbul’s score of 70 runs against India in 1998, which was the previous record.
The best of the bowlers was the New Zealand fast bowler Adam Milne, who made his series debut during this match. He took four wickets while only allowing 34 runs to score, while Trent Boult and Cole McConchie each picked up two.
As Bangladesh prepares to compete in the World Cup in India, the team’s regular skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, and head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, will undoubtedly have to come up with more effective strategies for a group that had a fantastic record at home up until 2022. Bangladesh’s three series losses this year come on the heels of Bangladesh’s elimination from the Asia Cup.