Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore wants his talented and youthful side to "apply logic" when they face New Zealand in their second World Cup Super Eights match in Antigua today.
Former Australia batsman Whatmore was dismayed to see a succession of Bangladesh top order batsmen try and fail to hit Glenn McGrath off his length during their 10-wicket defeat by the reigning world champions on Saturday.
McGrath said Bangladesh's approach had much to do with the fact rain had reduced the game to 22 overs per side.
PHOTO: AFP
But Whatmore insisted too many of his batsmen had played a part in their own downfall by being overly aggressive early on and so helping McGrath to a haul of three for 16 in five overs.
"I wasn't very happy to see that. He's got the best economy rate of all their bowlers. The boys knew that yet they still wanted to hit him. That's the frustrating part. You can see the talent in our kids, you tell them he's not easy to hit yet they still try to hit him," Whatmore said.
"We've got to have a little bit more discipline, apply logic and then we'll do better," he said. "The boys have got the ability, but a rush of blood here and a rush of blood there and it's so frustrating."
Bangladesh beat New Zealand by two wickets in a World Cup warm-up match last month.
But since that reverse the Black Caps have been in fine form and Whatmore believes they could be one of the sides capable of stopping Australia from winning a third straight World Cup title.
"They are a good solid team in any conditions and they'll be good opposition on Monday. They are strong all over, a very good fielding team and they bat deep with allrounders," he said.
"They have a lot of flexibility and are difficult to bowl out," added Whatmore, Sri Lanka's coach when they won the World Cup in 1996.
Two years ago Bangladesh caused the greatest upset in one-day international cricket history when they defeated Australia by five wickets in Cardiff.
However, Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes that Bangladesh, who beat India at this World Cup, are a better side now than they were then.
"They've come a long way since I first started playing against them and the exciting thing about them is that they've got a few 17, 18, 19-year-old kids in their side which is exciting for any team to have," he said.
And New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming insisted there was no way his side would be under-estimating Bangladesh after their recent experience.
"They turned us over in the warm-up game and they've been competitive through the World Cup and if conditions are right they can be quite a handful," he said.
"The danger is complacency, under-estimating what they can do. I think it's a blessing in disguise that we know what they can do," he said.
"They bowl a different length, they are able to exploit fresher conditions because they bowl fuller. They provide different challenges, challenges you don't get facing your own bowlers in the nets -- so that's where the adjustment comes from," he said.
Bangladesh have a fitness doubt over pace bowler Tapash Baisya who had to leave the field with what appeared to be a foot injury during his third over against Australia.
New Zealand are set to field largely the same team that beat West Indies by seven wickets on Thursday.
The only possible change could see Mark Gillespie, yet to play in the World Cup because of a shoulder problem, replace James Franklin, whose three overs against the West Indies in the Black Caps last match went for 29 runs.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and