The water shortage at Chattogram’s Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium has yet to ease. Regular water supply from WASA is still unavailable for watering the ground. With no rain in sight, there is barely a trace of green grass on the field. Parts of the outfield are brown, others grey.
In the circumstances, the wicket itself appears to have more of a green tinge than the ground around it. That ought to be encouraging news for the bowlers of Bangladesh and New Zealand. Yet the venue’s history tempers that optimism.
A pitch at Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium has long been regarded as a batsman’s paradise. India piled up 400 runs here in 2022. Bangladesh pace bowling coach Shaun Tait does not believe the character of the wicket has changed greatly since.
The first two matches of the series in Mirpur were played on contrasting surfaces. The opening match offered a somewhat slow wicket, while the second was relatively better for seamers because of grass cover. But in one respect Bangladesh were the same in both games—the real fight was carried by the bowlers.
In fact, “bowlers” may be too broad a term; “pace bowlers” is more accurate. In the first ODI, which Bangladesh lost, what little resistance there was came from Shoriful Islam. In the second match, Nahid Rana almost single-handedly dismantled New Zealand’s batting line-up.
So what will happen in today’s third and final ODI in Chattogram, effectively a final? Once again Bangladesh will look chiefly to their bowlers. There is unease over the batting, with the batters not among the runs. Nor have the two spinners, Rishad Hossain and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, been particularly effective.
Though, in bowling terms, that has scarcely mattered. The main burden has been carried by the seamers.
Ahead of the final ODI against New Zealand, they can also draw confidence from the numbers in Chattogram. In eight ODIs at Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium over the past four years, Bangladesh bowlers have taken 65 opposition wickets, of which 40 have gone to the pacers, at an average of just 5.49.
There is more encouraging news for Bangladesh before the series decider. Mustafizur Rahman, who missed the first two matches due to injuries, spent considerable time bowling in the nets yesterday.
Pace bowling coach Shaun Tait said at the press conference that he is ready to play. What remains unclear is who would make way should Mustafizur return.
Whoever plays today, Tait has considerable faith in his pace attack. “They adapted well even on very different wickets in Dhaka. There is no reason they cannot do the same tomorrow [today],” he said.
Nahid Rana has emerged as Bangladesh’s greatest weapon in pace bowling. In the previous match, across a 10-over spell, he bowled at above 140 kilometres per hour almost throughout.
Unsettling the Kiwi batsmen, he claimed a five-wicket haul in an ODI for only the second time.
Yesterday he spent a long time in discussion with head coach Phil Simmons during training. Nahid also carefully inspected the pitch on the ground.
Even so, because of injury concerns, there has been speculation over whether he might be rested for the third ODI. Tait’s remarks offered no such hint. On the contrary, he joked, “I think if he doesn’t play, the opposition will be delighted!”
With direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind, every match matters for Bangladesh now. In a pressure-laden series-deciding contest, Nahid is therefore needed in the side.
New Zealand, by contrast, are under less pressure. They arrived in Bangladesh without several star players occupied in franchise leagues, though they began the series with a win. Yet they regard a series victory in Bangladesh as a major achievement.
Pacer Nathan Smith had said as much in Dhaka, and in Chattogram yesterday Will O'Rourke echoed the sentiment.
“To win a series here would be a huge source of pride for us,” O’Rourke said. “I imagine everyone will give their absolute best to win the series.”
Who may stand in the way of that? In a word—Bangladesh’s pace bowlers.
But Bangladesh’s batters, too, will need to draw confidence from the Chattogram wicket. To secure a third successive home series win, everyone will need to rise to the occasion.