The Black Caps may have broken every record in sight during their recent drubbing of Australia, but nothing could have prepared them for the onslaught they faced today from Bengal's finest.
After reducing the opposition to a paltry 6/72, the Tigers could have been forgiven for turning the screws and bundling them out for a meagre total. But true champions must always resist the urge to humiliate the opposition and these Bangladeshi bowlers demonstrated laudible restraint in the ensuing 30 overs by serving up a steady diet of crap to allow New Zealand to scramble their way to 226 all out.
The Bangladeshi response began glitch-free as the openers eased their way to 66 without loss. Wickets followed intermittently, but a number of steady partnerships saw the score move to 5/167 at the 40th over. And while Fleming's men did their outmost to skittle the last 5 Bangladeshi batsman, the effect was much like a primary school playground scene where two really small kids charge at a really big kid while he stands his ground and fends them off by putting a hand on each of their heads while laughing in a highly superior manner.
Eventually the yawning gap between Bangladesh and the rest of the world shone through as the Tigers hauled in the total with 2 wickets and 7 balls to spare.
They now have a 10 day lay off until their next encounter against Greg Chapell's hapless Indians. A population of 1.2 billion people and a sizable global diaspora must be shitting its collective keks.
After reducing the opposition to a paltry 6/72, the Tigers could have been forgiven for turning the screws and bundling them out for a meagre total. But true champions must always resist the urge to humiliate the opposition and these Bangladeshi bowlers demonstrated laudible restraint in the ensuing 30 overs by serving up a steady diet of crap to allow New Zealand to scramble their way to 226 all out.
The Bangladeshi response began glitch-free as the openers eased their way to 66 without loss. Wickets followed intermittently, but a number of steady partnerships saw the score move to 5/167 at the 40th over. And while Fleming's men did their outmost to skittle the last 5 Bangladeshi batsman, the effect was much like a primary school playground scene where two really small kids charge at a really big kid while he stands his ground and fends them off by putting a hand on each of their heads while laughing in a highly superior manner.
Eventually the yawning gap between Bangladesh and the rest of the world shone through as the Tigers hauled in the total with 2 wickets and 7 balls to spare.
They now have a 10 day lay off until their next encounter against Greg Chapell's hapless Indians. A population of 1.2 billion people and a sizable global diaspora must be shitting its collective keks.
