An upbeat Bangladesh looked determined to come all guns blazing as they take on New Zealand for the third and final T20 International in a bid to seal the series at Bay Oval in Maunt Maunganui today.
Bangladesh lead the series 1-0 following their five-wicket victory in the first match. The second game was washed out after largely being dominated by Bangladesh, who started form where they ended in the first game.
A victory in the final game would help them end the year with high note apart from securing their fourth straight T20 series win. Bangladesh this year played three series in this format and won all including a three-match series sweep against T20 World Cup champions England.
All of those three series victories came at home soil. If they can win the final game, it will be their first series victory on New Zealand soil and help them end the year unbeaten in a particular format for the first time in their history.
"The target is to win," middle order batter Towhid Hridoy said. "Our body language is always energetic as we want to win every match we play against any team."
The series victory also will prove their further progress in a format where they are considered as a vulnerable team. In fact a series victory on New Zealand soil is not a everyone's cup of tea, specially a side hailed from Asian region.
After winning the first game with quite ease, Bangladesh started promisingly in the second game in a venue in which they got their landmark Test victory against New Zealand last year.
Before that Test victory, Bangladesh lost all of their matches to Kiwis at their own den in all format of cricket.
The Test victory was indeed prelude to snap their losing streak in ODI and T20 format too.
Bangladesh were without the service of Liton Das in the second game after he was ruled out of the series with hamstring injury sustained during the first match. Liton played a match winning 42 not out to be instrumental in Bangladesh' five-wicket victory. Soumya Sarkar also had a hand injury but he was cleared fit to play the second game.
"It doesn't matter who is playing or who is not. We always try to play as a team. Whoever comes into the team, he wants to contribute as much as he can," Hridoy remarked.
"The senior players will not play for Bangladesh always. But we have to move on. We have to play our best and that's the target."
Overall the two teams played 19 matches in this format, with New Zealand winning 14 and Bangladesh just four while one match ended no result.
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Liton Das, Rony Talukdar, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Shak Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam and Tanzim Hasan Sakib New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee.
