Biggies now won�t take Tigers lightly
Smith warns teammates to take best possible preparation
Sports Reporter
Bangladesh are now considered as the tough country to visit after their outstanding run at the home. New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott, originally born in South Africa, has recently confessed the matter, stating that, I know how difficult it is to travel and play in Bangladesh conditions.
Elliott however had the first hand experience in being humiliated by Bangladesh. He was the integral part of the New Zealand which lost seven straight matches in Bangladesh in two separate visits 2010 and 2013.
Bangladesh basically announced their arrival in the cricketing world as a major force by a 4-0 series win over the Kiwis in the five-match ODI series which was popularly termed as Banglawash. It was Bangladesh first series victory over a top flight nation, barring the Zimbabwe and second string West Indies side.
Apart from occasional failure, Bangladesh kept the success up at home den but the defining moment in their cricket history came in this year in fact. After a bad phase in the first half of the 2014, they got back to the right track by whitewashing Zimbabwe in both Test and ODI series. That kick-started their amazing run as they won another three straight ODI series at homeall of which came against the top ranked side like Pakistan, India and lastly South Africa. In between they moved to the quarterfinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time to prove a point that they are now a dominating side at least in limited over cricket.
That continuous success preciously translated into the ODI rankings in which they are now at seventh position which confirmed their berth at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 in England.
However one of the strongest teams in the world South Africas meek surrender to Bangladesh in the ODI series caused a huge outcry.
But Elliott has cautioned them not to be too harsh on their teams, even while he bats for the other side. In their own conditions, Bangladesh are very competitive. I have been to Bangladesh and struggled to win a game there. Its just such foreign conditions as we found with turning wickets, slow wickets so it took a while to adapt to that, Elliott told the ESPNcricinfo.
But what the others said, Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who is the man behind the teams revolutionary changes
said they need to prove their worth at foreign soil also.
We have challenges ahead. We need to play well at foreign soil also to complement our good work at home den, he said while inaugurating a restaurant in the city yesterday.
Though they are yet to prove their worth in the Test cricket, Australias newly appointed captain Steven Smith had already warned his side to take their best preparation before facing Bangladesh.
Australia will play two-match Test series in Bangladesh in next October.
Bangladesh even are yet to win a Test against any top opposition but pushed South Africa on back-foot in the first Test, bowling them out for just 246. The match was however eventually washed out. But the Bangladeshs performance in the Test series against South Africa gave an indication that they are coming of age in the longer version format as well.
