New Zealand fast bowler Nathan Smith says winning the series against Bangladesh would be massive.
New Zealand are ahead in the series after winning the first match. They now want to finish the job. The team looks confident. They handled the conditions well in the last game.
This tour is not easy for them. Many first-choice players are not in the squad. Around 16 to 17 regular players are missing. The heat in April has also made things tough. Still, the team has adapted well so far.
In normal cases, a New Zealand series win is not a surprise. They are number two in the ICC ODI rankings. They also won a recent series in India. They have a good record in Bangladesh too.
They last won an ODI series in Bangladesh in September 2023. The weather was easier then. Before that, they won here in October 2008 and November 2004.
Smith said a series win in these conditions would be special. “It would be massive. Bangladesh have put out a really strong side. You know, in New Zealand we pride ourselves on adapting to conditions, and at the moment the depth in New Zealand cricket is really strong. So when those guys who usually play in full-strength teams are not here, bringing in others, exposing them to these conditions, and helping them gain experience and deliver results really builds our depth and gives us confidence going forward.”
“So for New Zealand cricket, it is really important for us to come here. We want to play in these conditions. We want to play in situations that are unfamiliar to us and find ways to be effective on pitches we are not used to. The way we put Bangladesh under pressure in the last match was really satisfying. So if we can win the series, it would be huge for us.”
Smith played a big role in the first match. He scored 21 runs at the end. Then he made early breakthroughs with the ball. He dismissed Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto in back to back balls. He later got Tawhid Hridoy after his fifty.
New Zealand will play the second match on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. They will aim to seal the series there.
