A 18 member squad of Bangladesh cricket is now in New Zealand for playing two matches test series starting on the New Years day of 2022. New Zealand is current ICC Test Champion and we know Bangladesh is languishing at the bottom of ICC test ladder with only Zimbabwe lying behind them. 

Playing in New Zealand in alien condition for any team is a huge challenge. Bangladesh in the past has never won in any match there nor even could draw any. In early 2021 they were comprehensively Kiwi Washed in ODI and T20 series. Cricket admirers can only expect that with a team not having Tamim, Shakib and Mahmudullah can give a good account of themselves salvaging some pride. 

Bangladesh had a very poor T20 world mission. Following that they were comprehensively white washed by strong Pakistan in T20 as well as test series. New Zealand also had a poor tour of India. But in New Zealand it is a different dimension. The home team is almost unbeatable there. Even India, Pakistan, England and Australia struggle there. 

Squad: Mominul Haque (Captain), Shadman Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Fazle Mahmud, Liton Das (Wicket Keeper), Nurul Hasan (Wicket Keeper), Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Abu Jayed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Shohidul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mohammad Naim

Bangladesh team after arrival had some issues with COVID. A co passenger of the flight was tested positive rendering the team staying in quarantine for additional days. Spin coach Rangana Herath testing positive is still in isolation. However, after several COVID tests the team is now free to prepare for practice at Christchurch and within a couple of days would fly to Mount Maunganui where the first of the two test would be played. The series is a part of ICC Test Championship. Bangladesh after 21 years in test family is still struggling to find its feet in the test arena.

ICC Test Ranking As On 22 December 2021:

India is now in South Africa, Australia and England are engaged in Ashes. The position would definitely change in a couple of weeks. A big series win of New Zealand would definitely put them back on top. 

Bangladesh in recent matches looked very weak in test cricket. The top order batting looked extremely poorly equipped and vulnerable against quality pace attack even on docile Bangladesh wicket. The team has only Mushfique, Liton and Mominul having such success at international level. Against Soujthee, Boult, Jamieson, Henry on pacey, bouncy, seaming and swinging condition it will be extremely challenging for Shadman, Nazmul, Mahmudul Joy to survive. Even Mominul looked very ordinary against Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali at Chottogram and Dhaka. With Tamim still recovering from injury, Shakib granted leave of absence and Mahmudullah announcing his retirement from red ball cricket the onus would be on Mushfique and Liton K Das for shouldering the team. We are not sure untested middle order and late order can do much. New Zealand has also some quality spinners Ayaj Patel, Mitchel Santner. But the key would be managing pace. We hope that Bangladesh manage to score at least 300 if batting first in the first innings to extend the game to fourth day. 

New Zealand batting in India looked vulnerable and with their batting Nucleus Kane Williamson not available Bangladesh should find some relief. But remember Bangladesh bowling is not comparable with India at all. Latham, Young, Conway, Taylor can still score massively. Hope that Taskin, Rahi and Shoriful bowls well at the top, Taijul and Mehedi do damage control. 

There would chorus about mismanagement of cricket by BCB in the event of another dismal performance by Bangladesh. Hope players would commit. They have no fear, no concerns for winning. They must play to their potential and gain as much as possible from experience. 

BDST: 1402 HRS, DEC 22, 2021
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