Cricket: Bangladesh have plenty to throw at New Zealand

Auckland Aces left armer Bruce Martin will be New Zealand's No 1 spinner. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Remember the days when a touring team left Auckland Airport together, waving to friends and family from the bottom of the steps on the tarmac, wearing ties and blazers and with a TEAL travel bag hanging off a shoulder?

It's a far cry from the modern way of such departures, and put that down to the squeeze of various global commitments.

The New Zealand team have assembled in Bangladesh this week for their test and limited-overs series, starting in Chittagong next week.

Players arrived by a variety of routes. There was a training camp in Sri Lanka for a week but not all even made it there.

Five players have turned up from New Zealand A's tour of India and Sri Lanka, which ended on Thursday night; batsman Kane Williamson has just completed his time with Yorkshire - and has a new contract for his efforts.

Captain Brendon McCullum, seamer Neil Wagner and batsman Hamish Rutherford have hopped across from the Champions League in India, where Otago came within a frustrating few balls of qualifying for the semifinals.

There's a warmup game this weekend before the two-test rubber starts and New Zealand would be well advised to be on guard.

Bangladesh have had a tough time of it since entering the test game just over a decade ago.

Credibility was seriously stretched in the early years - even now at times it still is - the argument being they were only given top status because of pressure from their sub-continental neighbours, one in particular, for whom they were a guaranteed supporting vote around the International Cricket Council table.

Things have improved. Bangladesh standards are on the rise, even if they are not yet able to field a full XI of high class.

Flashy opener Tamim Iqbal, who has been with Wellington in the HRV Cup, averages 37, and has hit four hundreds, including two against England.

Shakib al Hasan is top quality, at one point ranking as the game's premier allrounder; wicketkeeper-captain Mushfiqur Rahim has steadily improving figures; while offspinner Sohag Gazi has 26 wickets from his first six tests.

When New Zealand made their last test visit in 2008, things were distinctly dicey in the first test at Chittagong, at 216 for five chasing 317, before Dan Vettori - 131 runs and nine wickets in the match - and Daniel Flynn got New Zealand home.

Bangladesh won all four ODIs that were played there in 2010 - on home soil they've won five of 10 against New Zealand and will again fancy their chances in the shorter form.

New Zealand's skills will be tested and for some the results will be particularly important.

Opener Peter Fulton, undone in England in May after his brace of hundreds at Eden Park in March, needs to get among the runs in vastly different conditions; so too Dean Brownlie in the middle order.

While coach Mike Hesson insists Bruce Martin remains the No 1 spinner, the Auckland left armer must produce in conditions which will surely favour him after an ordinary last couple of outings.

Young leg spinner Ish Sodhi could be introduced if a second spinner is required - the option is making more use of Williamson's handy offspin.

Sodhi has taken some floggings with New Zealand A but his promise isn't in dispute.

And in the absence of Tim Southee, recovering full fitness from an injury layoff, Trent Boult will lead the attack.

This is a big tour for the Northern Districts left armer as the frontline pace bowler. He's made considerable strides in the course of 12 successive test appearances.

In Colombo late last year he took seven wickets, getting pronounced swing to help New Zealand to a 167-run win.

Boult took six for 68 against England at Eden Park, and his 49 wickets have come at 29.12 apiece.

Contrast that improvement with Doug Bracewell, who seems to be treading water after such a promising introduction. No matter the circumstances that's never been a long-term survival strategy.

Mitchell McClenaghan is itching for a chance and Adam Milne is making progress. The fast-medium field is becoming pleasingly more competitive.

Test file

New Zealand test squad: Brendon McCullum (c), Hamish Rutherford, Peter Fulton, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Dean Brownlie, Tom Latham, BJ Watling, Corey Anderson, Ish Sodhi, Bruce Martin, Mark Gillespie, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Doug Bracewell.

Schedule:

Oct 9-13: First test, Chittagong

Oct 21-25: Second test, Dhaka

Oct 29: First ODI, Dhaka

Oct 31: Second ODI, Dhaka

Nov 3: Third ODI, Narayanganj

Nov 6: Only T20, either Sylhet or Dhaka