Last Updated on 10 years by Charbel Coorey

Monday was one of the great days in Bangladesh cricket.

What a World Cup it has been for both these sides. For New Zealand, they are favoured to end the group stages of a World Cup unbeaten for the first time. They have pretty much swept everyone aside with the ball and would look for a solid hit out for their batsmen. For Bangladesh, they have booked their passage to the quarter finals with an amazing w
in over England on Monday in Adelaide. It was a special day for their fans and I couldn’t be happier, as they exposed England’s weaknesses beautifully. Their focus and desire to do well in this game is fantastic, and they have the chance to build more momentum heading into the quarter finals by doing well here.

Since 2010, New Zealand have lost seven straight ODIs to Bangladesh – a 4-0 loss in 2010 and a 3-0 loss in 2013. Since 2013, both sides have gone in opposite directions somewhat, with New Zealand building beautifully to this World Cup and Bangladesh having to wait over a year for their next win, against Zimbabwe last November. This included defeats to Sri Lanka after they had them 67-8, Afghanistan and a 58 all out loss to India last June. Despite their poor form in 2014, Bangladesh is a side that can, if they show up on the day, cause a few surprises and surprise people they have done with entry into the quarter finals with a game to spare.

However, beating New Zealand in New Zealand is a different proposition and is something that they have never done. New Zealand would be strong favourites for this game and if they can get the ball to swing (something they’ve done often in this tournament), then Bangladesh could be in for a tough day. Bangladesh will also have to deal with Kane Williamson, Grant Elliott and Daniel Vettori as they have reportedly overcome sickness.

Key for New Zealand to win:

Rubel Hosssain was superb v England.

The key for New Zealand is ruthlessness and focus. A loss to Bangladesh at home on the eve of the quarter finals might leave a sour taste in the mouth. Ideally, they’d want a solid outing for all involved, especially their middle order who haven’t quite flourished so far in this World Cup. The key for them is to put the pressure back on Bangladesh’s fast bowlers, who are on quite a high after leading Bangladesh home against England. It will interesting to see how New Zealand handle Bangladesh’s bowlers who strive for good economy rates. If New Zealand are off their game, Bangladesh is a side that can cause them trouble. New Zealand need to be focused on this game before anything else. If they are, they’ll look a good bet for an undefeated group stage performance.

Key for Bangladesh to win:

The big key for Bangladesh is how they handle the swinging ball. They didn’t look too comfortable against the swinging ball when facing James Anderson early on in Adelaide on Monday. Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal both fell early to the swinging ball, and Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarker had some nervy moments. If Bangladesh are to spring a big upset, they’ll need runs on the board – exposing their middle order early to the in form New Zealand attack will make it less likely that they’ll get a good score on the board.

Player to watch for New Zealand:

McCullum has been destructive in this World Cup

Brendon McCullum. Out of the 249 runs he has scored in the tournament, 229 have been in the first ten overs. In the mandatory powerplays, McCullum’s strike rate is 212, which is double Adam’s Gilchrists 106 in 2003 for leading run scorers in the first ten overs of World Cups. If he gets going today, Bangladesh’s chances of even being competitive will shrink. Bangladesh will be given hope by the fact that their economy rate of 4.10 in the mandatory powerplay (2nd best)
can tackle New Zealand who have a run rate of over 8 in these overs this tournament.

Player to watch for Bangladesh:

Bangladesh would want to see more of this from Tamim

Tamim Iqbal. He needs to get going and get himself a good score against major opposition. His 95 against Scotland contributed significantly to an important win over Scotland last week but Bangladesh need more from the 2010 Test Cricketer of the year. If Bangladesh bat first, they’ll need Tami
m to bat through If Bangladesh bat second, they’ll need Tamim to set up the chase well. Of equal importance, Tamim Iqbal needs a confidence boost ahead of the quarter finals and what better way to find confidence with runs against one of the best attacks in the world?

Prediction: As a Bangladesh fan, this game is more about the performance than the result. Sure, it’d be great to see a Bangladesh victory in New Zealand but putting up a good show should be their first priority. I think Bangladesh can be competitive but a victory here is a tough ask – Sri Lanka, Australia and England were all hurt by New Zealand. New Zealand to win but certainly hoping for a confident Bangladeshi performance.