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Bangladesh Falls Short in First ODI Against New Zealand

Bangladesh began the ODI series with a loss, falling 26 runs short against New Zealand in the first match of the three-match series in Mirpur. The visitors now lead the series 1-0.

New Zealand scored 247 runs after batting first, and while chasing, Bangladesh were bowled out for 221 runs despite good efforts from Saif Hassan, Litton Das, and Towhid Hridoy.

Saif Hassan on Pitch Conditions

After the match, opener Saif Hassan represented Bangladesh in the press conference, scoring 57 off 76 balls. Most of the questions were about the pitch, and Saif handled them calmly.

Talking about the wicket, Saif said, “I think the pitch was a bit challenging early on. We lost wickets at the wrong times. If I could have stayed longer, it might have been easier. It was easier for set batters, but tough for new ones. That’s something we need to adjust to.”

Comparing it with the Pakistan series, he said, “The wickets in the Pakistan series were more true. This one wasn’t bad either. It was good, just a bit challenging. There’s no excuse really. When you represent your country, you’re expected to have the skills. We just couldn’t do well today.”

Adapting to Different Conditions

Saif added, “We had an idea of how the pitch might behave. There was some uneven bounce today. But again, that’s not an excuse. Losing wickets at the wrong time cost us the match. We have to adapt to different conditions. That’s part of being professional cricketers.”

On losing despite New Zealand fielding a relatively less experienced side, he said, “I don’t know about that. We know New Zealand came as a national team. We’ll try to bounce back in the next match.”

Looking Ahead

The second ODI will be played on April 20. Bangladesh will look to bounce back and level the series.