Sports Desk

Bangladesh are keen to restore some pride by avoiding a whitewash as they take on New Zealand for the third and final ODI at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday.

The match will start at 4am (Bangladesh Time).

The Tigers lost the rain-hit first game by 44 runs before suffering a seven-wicket defeat in the second game despite landmark 169 run knock of Soumya Sarkar.

The defeat extended Bangladesh's losing streak in ODI on New Zealand soil to 18. With no series in New Zealand in FTP till 2027, the third ODI would be Bangladesh's last chance so far to end this disappointing streak. If they can do so, they will also avoid the whitewash and fifth straight defeat to New Zealand.

The Black Caps, even won a three-match series in Bangladesh by 2-0 ahead of the World Cup.

What however ailed Bangladesh was their familiar top order collapse. In the first match, they were reduced to 92-4 in the chase of 245 and later in second ODI, they were slumped to 80-4 after opting to bat first.

Soumya Sarkar hammered a record-breaking 151 ball-169 to help Bangladesh recover from ultimate shamble on a good batting track as Bangladesh compiled 291-7 in second ODI. Still they tasted a big defeat, which was a testament of how good the pitch was for batting.

Bangladesh's middle order comprised with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy simply failed to do their job when there was high expectation on them.

The Tigers could have got the edge in the last two matches had the middle order not misfired. Mushfiqur Rahim, who is coming to bat at No. 6, failed in the first game but got back to his form with a 67-run knock in the second match.

But the individual flashes of brilliance is inadequate in winning the match and that too on New Zealand soil where the Asian teams historically always struggle.

"It's really disappointing. We lost a couple of early wickets, that's what cost us today. We had a good tally, but our bowlers didn't bowl well," Shanto said after the first match, emphasizing on total team effort to end their miserable streak in New Zealand.

After the ODI series, Bangladesh will play a three-match T20 International series here.

Squad

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Vice Captain), Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Hasan Mahmud, Rishad Hossain, Rakibul Hasan

New Zealand: Tom Latham (Captain), Adi Ashok (games 2 & 3), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young