ICC Champions Trophy
Tigers, Kiwis both desperate for win
Syed Mohammed Pithu from Cardiff
With a higher ambition to fulfill, a different breed of Tigers returned to their happy hunting ground Cardiff as they take on New Zealand today in a must-win fixture of their ICC Champions Trophy. A victory against New Zealand will put them in a position to move into the semi-final, provided England, who have signalled their title intentions by cruising into the lastfour stage following two convincing outings, beat their archrivals Australia on June 10. The name of the stadium where Tigers beat Australia 12 years ago, thanks to a stupendous century of Mohammad Ashraful and Aftab Ahmeds unforgettable six off Jason Gilespie, was changed to SSE Swalec from Sophia Gardens, and so has the Bangladesh side.
From a team, known as occasional flashes of brilliance, Bangladesh evolved to a team to beat the top guns at regular basis in on and off the country. The memorable five-wicket win over Australia is considered as the precursor to what stage the Bangladesh is now.
To materialise the dream of moving into the semi-final of the tournament, no other place in England could be such ideal. While the Kiwis were a tad unfortunate against Australia given that they were in a stronger position when the match was called off, Bangladesh were lucky to run away with a point against the Aussies.
One lucky point from a miserable condition keeps Bangladesh alive in the tournament and it is the high time now to pay off. For New Zealand, it is also a do-or-die game after their match against Australia was rain-abandoned and their crushing 87-run loss to hosts England.
Despite escaping from a potential exit, Bangladesh is favourite over New Zealand thanks to their recent superior record. In the last encounter between the two sides, Bangladesh had the last laugh in the Tri-nation series in New Zealand. So, the opponent is also ideal to fulfill dream.
The desperation for a win aside, both New Zealand and Bangladesh would hope for an England victory against Australia, assuming rain does not disturb their calculations again. There was a sense of belief and determination as Bangladesh was practicing for the last time at Swalec before taking on New Zealand.
Its a must-win fixture for us, so we want to win it at any cost. Semi-final is not in our head and that is not in our hands also. But what we could do is to keep us ahead by winning the game against New Zealand, said Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. Opener Tamim Iqbal started the tournament with a century, against England, before making 95 against Australia. He has been in the life of his form and will be again the man to drive Bangladesh to the victory.
