KEY POINTS:
Bangladesh touched down in New Zealand's scenic wonderland yesterday, devoid of delusions of grandeur as they try derail a home cricket side growing in confidence.
With the one-day series wrapped up thanks to a crushing win in Napier on Friday, New Zealand have realigned their sights to focus on inflicting more pain at the Queenstown Events Centre tomorrow - where another comprehensive win will at least allow them to end 2007 in a buoyant mood.
Bangladesh already realise they are on a hiding to nothing - and acknowledge the subsequent two-test series already has the hallmarks of another mismatch, given the young subcontinental side consider themselves more suited to the shorter form of the game.
They arrived last week mildly optimistic about their limited overs ability, with some justification after shock wins over India and South Africa at the World Cup in March.
Instead their tour has revolved around hollow victories.
A highest ever one-day international score (202) against New Zealand in the first match at Eden Park; the satisfaction taken from captain Mohammad Ashraful's damaging 70-run assault during that innings and the development of a promising opener in the form of 18-year-old Tamim Iqbal.
The priority tomorrow will be not boosting the New Zealand batsmen's burgeoning confidence before the test series starts in Dunedin on Friday.
However, that scenario seems inevitable.
Bangladesh's Australian coach Jamie Siddons conceded a special set of circumstances were needed to salvage a consolation win before the tests.
"We don't pretend that we're going to compete with New Zealand on a regular basis at this point in time," he said after the hosts' 102-run, rain-affected victory at McLean Park.
"We are learning, but it's going to take time. They're young players, some are only playing their first or second game of their lives at this level," Siddons said, referring to Iqbal's opening partner Zunaed Siddique, who made his one-day international debut in Auckland.
"There's a learning curve they have to go through and we're going to suffer some pain. We're suffering that pain now - there's no way around it."
Siddons, a prolific runscorer for South Australia during his playing days, has seen enough in his openers to be convinced they have a long-term future in the game.
Their 63-run opening stand on Friday, as Bangladesh were set 336 to square the series, was a case in point.
"Both openers have impressed me, I love the look of Tamim," Siddons said.
"There's big futures there -they're not intimidated or worried by the moving ball. They look really bright prospects."
Ashraful and Aftab Ahmed are also dangerous if and when they come off but Siddons admitted if the top order do not set a challenging total, the bowlers have little to work with.
"If the ball's not swinging or spinning which it didn't (in Napier) we're up against it," Siddons said.
"I thought we bowled really well but our pace just isn't up there. Our opening bowlers (Mashrafe Mortaza and Shahadat Hossain) going at 130-132kph as opposed to 140s... it's really hard to contain when you can't bounce them and have that little 'get out' ball."
The Queenstown pitch traditionally offers a little more encouragement for the pace bowlers, though New Zealand's quartet will also be eyeing a batting lineup that, once Ashraful is gone, looks particularly vulnerable.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori thought the tourist town was the ideal location to complete a 3-0 whitewash.
"It's usually a pretty good stomping ground for us against subcontinent sides, we make our mark with the ball more often than not," he said, a view backed up by statistics.
New Zealand have won four of their five matches at Queenstown, a six-wicket loss to Pakistan the only aberration in 2004.
They have beaten India and Sri Lanka twice, though the last win was a one-wicket nailbiter 12 months ago.
Second spinner Jeetan Patel looms as the unlucky squad member again, with pace the weapon of choice.
Mark Gillespie will undergo another assessment on his injured left shoulder tomorrow, he only managed an over in Napier before crying off. Fellow-right armer Michael Mason joined the squad as cover.
- NZPA
