Cricket
Ajaz disappointed being overlooked in Tests vs Bangladesh
New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel, who has recently bagged 10 wickets in a Test innings only as the third bowler in the history, said that he is disappointed after being left out of the team in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting from January 1.
Bangladesh team is already in New Zealand, and players have started preparation for the series following maintaining an extended quarantine.
New Zealand Cricket has recently announced a 13-member squad for this series overlooking left-arm orthodox spinner Ajaz. The bowler said he understands the reason behind his omission but he is disappointed.
“It’s disappointing to be out of the team,” he said to the media. “Still, you have to express yourself and show that you are passionate to play for New Zealand. I have talked to the coach, and it was an honest conversation.”
Read: Tom Latham to Lead New Zealand Test Team for Bangladesh Series
In the 13-member team, Rachin Ravindra is the only spin-bowling option for the hosts. Before this series, Rachin played only two Tests and bagged three wickets.
The first Test of the series will be played in Tauranga while the second is slated to take place in Christchurch.
Before this series, Bangladesh lost all 15 Tests they played against the Blackcaps. This series is a part of the ICC World Test Championship that Bangladesh started with a disappointing result with Pakistan at home— losing a two-match series 2-0.
Read: Tigers out for preparation in New Zealand
In the previous cycle of the same event, Bangladesh played seven Tests and failed to win any of them. This time, the Tigers are eager to make a mark and try to turn the tide.
Tom Latham to Lead New Zealand Test Team for Bangladesh Series
The New Zealand Cricket Board will host the Bangladesh cricket team for a two-match Test series as part of the ongoing ICC Test Championship. New Zealand are the reigning Champions of the newly formed Test tournament. They lost 1-0 against India to begin their quest for the second edition of the Test Championship. Therefore, the upcoming series is crucial for New Zealand to move up the points standings. Despite Kane Williamson’s injury, the selectors named a solid Test squad for the Bangladesh series. Let's take a look at New Zealand's Test team for the Bangladesh series.
New Zealand's Test Team for the Bangladesh Series 2022
The New Zealand Cricket Board confirmed the Test squad for their next home series against Bangladesh on Wednesday (December 22).
The majority of the players that were part of the India trip in 2021 were selected by the New Zealand selectors. Only Devon Conway, who missed the India series due to injury, has been added to the lineup for this series. Captain Kane Williamson has been rested for the series. He has an elbow injury and is expected to miss international cricket for an extended period of time, according to sources.
Read Six-team Bangabandhu BPL kicks off on January 21
One of the most significant moves was to drop spinner Ajaz Patel for the series. Ajaz had an incredible outing during the India series. He took ten wickets in India's first innings in the Mumbai Test, making him only the third bowler in history to take ten wickets in a single innings. Jim Laker of England collected ten wickets in an innings against Australia in Manchester in 1956, while Anil Kumble of India grabbed ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999.
According to head coach Gary Stead, Ajaz Patel is not an ideal option for the Bangladesh series. Instead, they have put their faith in Rachin Ravindra, a genuine part-time bowler who has yet to make his Test debut for the Blackcaps. In fact, Rachin is the team's lone spinner. Will Somerville and Glenn Phillips are two other players who did not make the squad. Apart from them, the team has all of the expected names.
Read Nayeem takes six to stun Central Zone in BCL
New Zealand Squad:
Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, and Will Young
Probable New Zealand XI (first match)
Tom Latham (c), Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult
Read Akram to stay in his BCB position for now, next decision on Dec 24: Nazmul
NZ vs BAN 2022: Test Series Fixture
The Test series between New Zealand and Bangladesh will begin on January 1, 2022. The first Test match will be contested at the Bay Oval in Tauranga from January 1 to 5. The second Test will be held three days later, from January 9 to 13, at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Both games are scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
Bottom Line
Bangladesh have met New Zealand in a total of 15 matches in Test cricket. However, they have failed to win a Test match against the Kiwis, having lost 12 of them. New Zealand's current Test setup will put Bangladesh's team to the test. Therefore, New Zealand will be a clear favorite in this home series, with a strong chance of winning all 24 points.
Read Bangladesh-New Zealand Test Series: Three Inspiring Knocks From Bangladeshi Batters
Six-team Bangabandhu BPL kicks off on January 21
The new season of Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 is all set to begin on January 21 next, confirmed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday.
A total of six teams will participate in this premier T20 cricket league of Bangladesh, and the teams will be based on — Barishal, Chattogram, Cumilla, Dhaka, Khulna and Sylhet. However, the names of the teams are yet to be revealed.
Read:Nayeem takes six to stun Central Zone in BCL
“We have finalized a six-team BPL,” Ismail Haider Mallick, a member of the BPL governing council told the media on Wednesday. “We might not be able to host an opening ceremony in this situation (of a pandemic).”
On December 27, a players draft will take place in the capital for the teams to rope in the players— both local and international.
The local players will be divided into six different categories— A, B, C, D, E and F. The players in the A category will get BDT 7 million, while fees for other categories are (all in BDT and million): 3.5 for B, 2.5 for C, 1.8 for D, 1.2 for E, and .5 for the F category.
And the international players will fall in five different categories— A, B, C, D and E. The players in the A category will draw USD 75 thousand while 50 for B, 40 for C, 30 for D and USD 20 thousand for the D category.
Each team is allowed to rope in one local player from any category outside the draft, and every team will be entitled to rope in at least 10 and a maximum of 14 local players from the draft on the top of one direct signing. No team will be allowed to hire more than 14 local players at any point in the event.
Read:Akram to stay in his BCB position for now, next decision on Dec 24: Nazmul
Each team is allowed to register a minimum of three and a maximum of eight foreign players, and three direct signings are also allowed. Each team is bound to play at least three foreign players in every match.
This year’s BPL will be held in three different venues across Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.
The champions will be rewarded BDT 10 million and the runners-up will get BDT 5 million as the prize money.
Nayeem takes six to stun Central Zone in BCL
Right-arm spinner Nayeem Hasan scalped six wickets for 48 runs in the fourth innings to stun Walton Central Zone on Wednesday at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
Riding on his imperious bowling display, Islami Bank East Zone beat Central Zone by 10 runs. Central Zone won their first-round match but failed to register another win in the second round despite being on top at the start of the last and fourth day.
Central Zone needed 112 runs to seal the match, but Nayeem made it impossible for them. Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar hit 60 and 73 respectively but failed to help the team avoid the defeat.
In the last innings of the match, Central Zone ended up on 188 for all wickets. They needed to score 199 to win the match.
In the first innings of the match, East Zone posted 245 with Shahadat Hossain Dipu scoring 72, and Central Zone pacer Abu Hider Rony bagged five wickets. In reply, Central Zone posted 227 with Taibur Rahman hitting 76 and Zakir Hasan scoring 92.
East Zone posted 180 in their second innings with wicketkeeper-batter Pritom Kumar and Nayeem Hasan scoring a fifty each, and Central Zone bowlers— Hasan Murad bagged four wickets, and Rony, and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury taking two wickets each.
The other match of the second round of BCL played between BCB North Zone and BCB North Zone, ended in a draw.
Riding on the century of Naeem Islam, BCB North Zone had scored 385 in the first innings of the match. In reply, at the end of day three, BCB South Zone scored 350 for three with Amite Hasan (131) and Towhid Hridoy (159*) hitting a century each. Eventually, Towhid ended his maiden First-class century at 217, and BCB South Zone scored 499 in their first innings.
BCB North Zone batted for 26 overs in the last afternoon of the match and scored 62 for one at stumps.
Akram to stay in his BCB position for now, next decision on Dec 24: Nazmul
President of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Nazmul Hasan on Wednesday said that Akram Khan will continue as the chairman of the cricket operation department of BCB for now.
“Akram did not say that he is going to resign,” Nazmul said. “Akram said the final decision is expected from me. He also said there is a lot of work in the cricket operation committee and he has no objection if he is appointed in another post.”
Read:Akram Khan set to resign from his BCB post, reveals family
A day earlier, Akram’s wife revealed that he is going to resign from his BCB post so he can spend more time with the family.
However, former BNgladesh captain Akram told the media on Tuesday that he was expecting Nazmul to make a decision about his future at BCB.
He didn’t elaborate why he suddenly needed the board president to make the decision about his future.
“We will form the new committees on December 24, and we will decide if Akram will continue as the chief of the cricket operation or not. Currently, he is working as the head of this committee on an interim basis,” Nazmul added.
It’s understood that after the T20 World Cup debacle of Bangladesh, the board was overlooking Akram in many ways.
Read:BCL: Central Zone on verge of second win
Sources close to him said he was not informed well when the team has started preparation ahead of the Pakistan series at home. He was not also consulted when BCB has asked Mohammad Salahuddin to take the role of the assistant coach at BCB.
These things might have played a big role for Akram and his family to decide to quit.
Bangladesh-New Zealand Test Series: Three Inspiring Knocks From Bangladeshi Batters
The two-match Bangladesh-New Zealand Test series will begin on January 1. This will be Bangladesh's second series in the second cycle of the ICC Test Championship. Bangladesh's Test team has been under pressure lately after losing a 2-0 home series against Pakistan. A less-experienced Bangladesh side has no realistic chance of making a strong comeback against New Zealand. However, batters can take inspiration from some of Bangladesh's outstanding individual innings. Three of Bangladesh's most inspiring innings against New Zealand are highlighted here.
Three Best Performances by Bangladesh Batters in Bangladesh-New Zealand Test Series
Over the years, Bangladesh batters have produced some excellent individual performances against New Zealand in the Test format. Take a look at the Tigers' best three Test innings against the Blackcaps.
Read:New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Head-to-Head Record, Stats in Test Cricket
3) Mominul Haque (126*)
Match: Bangladesh vs New Zealand (2nd Test, 2013)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: draw
The opening match of the two-match series ended in a draw. As a result, the second match was important for both teams to win the series. Bangladesh chose to bat first and scored 282 runs in the first innings at SBNCS, Mirpur. New Zealand took a 155-run advantage after scoring 437 runs in their first innings. Bangladesh required a strong batting performance in the second innings in order to save the match.
Thankfully, Mominul Haque rose to the occasion and scored an unbeaten 126* run knock. The left-handed batter and opener Tamim Iqbal put on a crucial 157-run partnership to help Bangladesh take the lead in the third innings. Bangladesh ended day four with 269/3 on the board, a 114-run lead. However, the fifth day's play was canceled owing to inclement weather. Bangladesh needed Mominul Haque's superb knock to avoid a potential loss. He certainly saved the game with that knock.
Read: Akram Khan set to resign from his BCB post, reveals family
2) Mushfiqur Rahim (159)
Match: New Zealand vs Bangladesh (1st Test, 2017)
Venue: Basin Reserve, Wellington
Result: New Zealand (7 wickets)
In 2017, Bangladesh faced New Zealand in Wellington in the opening Test of a two-match series. New Zealand chose to bat first in order to keep Bangladesh's total small. However, Bangladesh batters shocked the host with a good middle-order batting effort, scoring a massive 595/8d in the first innings. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan put on a record partnership of 359 runs for the fifth wicket after Bangladesh were reduced to 160/4. They carried it to 519 runs in the innings. Mushfiqur's first-inning contribution with the bat was 159 runs in 260 balls.
A big hundred on a New Zealand surface was a genuinely spectacular feat. Bangladesh went on to lose by 7 wickets in the match. However, Mushfiqur Rahim and other Bangladesh batters should take inspiration from such performance in the upcoming Bangladesh-New Zealand Test series.
Read Asia Cup: Junior Tigers to leave Dhaka this evening
1) Shakib Al Hasan (217)
Match: New Zealand vs Bangladesh (1st Test, 2017)
Venue: Basin Reserve, Wellington
Result: New Zealand (7 wickets)
Bangladesh's arguably best-ever player Shakib Al Hasan recorded the highest individual Test innings of 217 runs in the first innings in the 2017 Wellington Test against New Zealand. Shakib produced a 359-run partnership with Mushfiqur in the fifth wicket, ensuring a massive total in the first innings. Bangladesh scored 595/8 and was declared the innings.
Read Tigers out for preparation in New Zealand
However, they lost the match due to a poor second-inning batting performance. In that innings, Shakib was brilliant with the bat and wasn't afraid to take on Kiwi pacers. Without a doubt, Shakib Al Hasan's 217-run innings is one of the finest in Bangladesh cricket history, and it was a benchmark performance for future generations of cricketers.
Way Forward
Can Bangladesh make a strong impression against New Zealand in the Test format? Bangladesh's recent performances in the longer format suggest that a victory over New Zealand is impossible. Furthermore, the Bangladesh team has yet to win a match in New Zealand in any format. So, team tigers have little chance against the Blackcaps in the Bangladesh-New Zealand Test series. Therefore, the expectation would be to play good cricket and extend each match to the fifth day. Batters must shoulder most of the burden in this regard, and they can take some inspiration from the three aforementioned individual knocks.
Read Bangladesh Cricket in 2021: Performance Analysis by Series
BCL: Central Zone on verge of second win
Walton Central Zone is on the verge of the second win in the ongoing Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) against Islami Bank East Zone at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
At the end of day three, Central Zone needs 112 runs with nine wickets in hand. They were batting at 87 for one, with Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar were batting 42 and 33 respectively.
READ: Asia Cup: Junior Tigers to leave Dhaka this evening
In the first innings of the match, East Zone posted 245 with Shahadat Hossain Dipu scoring 72, and Central Zone pacer Abu Hider Rony bagged five wickets. In reply, Central Zone posted 227 with Taibur Rahman hitting 76 and Zakir Hasan scoring 92.
East Zone posted 180 in their second innings with wicketkeeper-batter Pritom Kumar and Nayeem Hasan scoring a fifty each, and Central Zone bowlers— Hasan Murad bagged four wickets, and Rony, and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury taking two wickets each.
In the final innings of the match, Central Zone needs to score 199 to seal the match. They have won their first-round match as well.
READ: Tigers out for preparation in New Zealand
The other match of the second round of BCL, being played between BCB North Zone and BCB South Zone, is heading for a draw.
Riding on the century of Naeem Islam, BCB North Zone had scored 385 in the first innings of the match. In reply, at the end of day three, BCB South Zone scored 350 for three with Amite Hasan (131) and Towhid Hridoy (159*) hitting a century each.
Asia Cup: Junior Tigers to leave Dhaka this evening
Bangladesh U-19 cricket team is all set to leave Dhaka for the UAE this evening to take part in the U-19 Asia Cup. After this event, the Junior Tigers will fly to the West Indies to take part in the ICC U-19 World Cup as the defending champions.
In the World Cup, slated to be played between January 14 and February 5, Bangladesh will face Canada, the UAE and England in Group A.
Read: Tigers out for preparation in New Zealand
“We have to play well to win matches against any opponent, and at this level, there is no big or small opponent. We have to play well against every team to do well,” Rakibul Hasan, Bangladesh’s captain, told the media.
Rakibul was part of Bangladesh team when they won the World Cup in 2020 in South Africa.
Bangladesh have recently played a series against India U-19 A and B team, and won the series. Rakibul believes that win will help them to do well in the Asia Cup and in the World Cup.
Squad: Rakibul Hasan (Captain), Prantik Nawrose Nabil (Vice-Captain), Mahfijul Islam, Iftakhar Hossain Ifti, SM Meherob Hasan, Aich Mollah, Abdulla Al Mamun, Gazi Mohammad Tahjibul Islam, Ariful Islam, Md Fahim, Mohammad Musfik Hasan, Ripon Mondol, Md Ashiqur Zaman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Naimur Rohman Noyon
Read: Akram Khan set to resign from his BCB post, reveals family
Traveling Reserves: Ahosun Habib Leon, Jishan Alam, Stand By: Mohiuddin Tareq, Tawhidul Islam Ferdus, Shakib Shahriyer, Golam Kibria
Tigers out for preparation in New Zealand
After waiting for about one and a half weeks, the Bangladesh team is finally out for preparation ahead of the two-match Test series against New Zealand starting from January 1.
In the latest Covid-19 Test, all the members of the Bangladesh team returned negative which allowed them to come out from the quarantine and start preparation ahead of the series.
Read:New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Head-to-Head Record, Stats in Test Cricket
This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship. Bangladesh played their first series of this event against Pakistan at home before flying for New Zealand. Bangladesh lost both the matches they played against Pakistan at home.
Bangladesh team left Dhaka on December 9 for New Zealand, and since then, they had been maintaining a strict quarantine. In the first Covid-19 test after arriving there, all the players and support staff returned negative. But in the second test, Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach Rangana Herath returned positive which prevented the Tigers to take the field after completing three days of in-room quarantine.
“It’s Great to be out,” Russell Domingo, Bangladesh’s head coach, said. “Eleven days in our rooms been pretty challenging for the boys after a long year. So, boys are happy to be out in bright sunshine and blue sky.”
Bangladesh team will continue to be practising for two days to get themselves accustomed to batting and bowling once again, and by the time they will get to Tauranga for a six-day preparation camp before the first Test of the series.
The strict quarantine measures had cast doubts over the fate of this series. Had not everybody of the Bangladesh team returned negative in the last Covid-19 test, the period of quarantine might have been extended more which could force both the boards to reschedule the series in a later date.
After the New Zealand series, Bangladesh players will need to maintain another quarantine period when they will play the new season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which is yet to be scheduled. And after that, Afghanistan will visit Bangladesh, and the players will have to maintain another tight bio-secured environment.
Bangladesh have been suffering in the field for a while now. They won two T20I series against Australia and New Zealand ahead of the T20 World Cup. But in the World Cup, they failed in every way—which was started with the defeat against Scotland.
Read: Akram Khan set to resign from his BCB post, reveals family
After the shocking defeat in the first match, Bangladesh won against Oman and Papua New Guinea and qualified to the next phase of the event which was full of disappointment for the Tigers where they failed to win any match.
After the World Cup, Bangladesh lost two consecutive Tests against Pakistan. Now, they are taking the challenge of New Zealand at their home ground. Before this series, Bangladesh played 15 Tests against New Zealand and failed to win any of them.
In this tough series, Bangladesh are set to miss the service of Shakib Al Hasan who is currently on leave due to family commitments. The allrounder has great records against the Blackcaps. Along with him, Bangladesh’s most successful opener, Tamim Iqbal, is also out of this series. The opener is currently going through a rehabilitation program to come out from injuries that prevented him to take part in the Pakistan series.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Head-to-Head Record, Stats in Test Cricket
Bangladesh's last Test victory came in July of this year against Zimbabwe. They were defeated 2-0 at home by Pakistan, and their recent Test records have been disappointing, with only two victories in the past fourteen matches. On the other hand, New Zealand have been in excellent form in the longer-version format, winning eight of their past twelve matches, including the 2021 World Test Championship final. In this context, the forthcoming series will be a big test for a youthful Bangladesh team. Let's have a look at the New Zealand vs Bangladesh head-to-head statistics and records.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh: Head-to-head Test Record
The opening match of the NZ vs BAN 1st Test 2022 will be played at the Bay Oval in Tauranga. The game will begin at 4 a.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). A full-strength New Zealand team will play in the series, while the BCB selectors have added some new names to the Bangladesh roster.
The ninth bilateral Test series (BAN vs NZ):
The upcoming bilateral contest between Bangladesh and New Zealand will be the ninth Test series between the two nations. Both teams previously played eight bilateral series, with Pakistan hosting five and Bangladesh hosting three. Seven of these series have been won by New Zealand, with one series ending in a draw.
Read Bangladesh Cricket in 2021: Performance Analysis by Series
Notable Test records between Bangladesh and New Zealand
The following are some of Bangladesh and New Zealand's most noteworthy Test records.
Noteworthy Test Records: BAN vs NZ
Bangladesh
New Zealand
Matches Played (15)
0
12
Most Runs
Tamim Iqbal (908 runs in 20 innings)
Kane Williamson (683 runs in 8 innings)
Highest Score
Shakib Al Hasan (217)
Stephen Fleming (202)
Most hundred
Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (2)
Kane Williamson (3)
Most Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan (26)
Daniel Vettori (51)
Best Bowling Figures (Match)
Shakib Al Hasan (9/115)
Daniel Vettori (12/170)
Most Matches
Tamim Iqbal (11)
Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (9)
Highest Partnership
Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim (359)
Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum (339)
Most Catches
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rajin Saleh (4)
Ross Taylor (15)
Most Dismissals
Mushfiqur Rahim (14)
Bredon McCullum (28)
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Read Traditional folk sports of rural Bangladesh: A look back