New Zealand vs Bangladesh: No fireworks are expected

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">COLOMBO: After the humiliating defeat in their opening match against Australia, it is time for New Zealand to soothe their shattered egos, even if that means causing bruises on innocent Bangladeshis, in the final league match of the ICC Champions Trophy cricket tournament here on Monday.<br />If one goes by the manner of their defeats to Australia — New Zealand lost by 164 runs and Bangladesh by nine wickets — it appears as though New Zealand and Bangladesh match each other quite well in this final skirmish, but given the <br />New Zealanders desire to erase the memories of that bad day, Bangladesh can be expected to suffer another drubbing. Come to think of it, New Zealand is no push-over side. <br />But if they were made to look like one, then it was purely due to the superlative performance from one of the most professional sides in the world. And, of course, without the likes of all-rounders like Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns, there was very little that the Kiwis could do. Also, McGrath was in sparkling form.<br />New Zealand could find themselves doing precisely that to Bangladesh now. Although their new-ball bowlers didn’t do much to expect a match-winning effort from them, one bowler who can be expected to tie the Bangladeshis into knots is left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori. The 22-year-old single-handedly stopped the Aussies from crossing the 300-mark.<br />But given the Bangladeshi penchant for deciphering spin bowling and their ability to stand up to fast bowlers, as they proved against the Australians against whom they almost played out their overs, New Zealand at best could restrict the minnows if not bowl them out.<br />New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming said Bangladesh are not an unknown quantity for them, having played a Test series against them at home as well as in Bangladesh. He paid his respects to the side, saying, “We are not taking them lightly because they are evolving into a fighting side.�<br />Bangladesh coach Moh-shin Kamal said, “Any performance better than the one against Australia is a good performance for us. And our aim will be just that.� <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The squads</span> Bangladesh (from): Khaled Mashud (Captain), Al-Sahariar, Alok Kapali, Fahim Muntasir, Habibul Bashar, Javed Omar, Khaled Mahmud, Manjural Islam, Mazharul Haque, Mohammad Ashraful, Mohammad Rafique, Talha Jubair, Tapash Baisya, Tushar Imran.<br />New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (Captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Chris Harris, Paul Hitchcock, Kyle Mills, Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram, Matthew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Glenn Sulzberger, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">X-FACTORS</span> <span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The flying machine</span>: He doesn’t have any history of flying hours. Nor did he ever aspire to become a pilot. Bangladesh skipper Khaled Mashud is nicknamed ‘Pilot’ because of his acrobatic wicket-keeping skills. Full of gusto he might just have some bearing on the match.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The cool, cool Astle:</span> He’s regarded as Mr. Cool by his peers. Nathan Astle’s calm might just explode the Bangladeshi bowlers. With the SSC wicket offering true bounce Astle’s penchant to hit on the up might come to fore.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The stylish Scott</span>: He has modelled his bowling style on the mean Gavin Larsen. Scott Styris is a typical Kiwi player — nothing flashy but full of utility. His batting is priceless asset for captain Fleming.</div> </div>