Black Caps told to shape up against tourists or face axe

New Zealand's cricketers have been told to shape up or face the axe in the one-day series against Bangladesh which starts tomorrow as they look to recover from a torrid past nine weeks.

With batsmen out of sorts and bowlers unable to find a line, captain Daniel Vettori has called for a complete form turnaround before England arrive next year.

"The pressure's on us to win now," said Vettori, reflecting on the 1-2 ODI loss and 0-2 Test drubbing in South Africa followed by the 0-2 defeat in Australia.

"We have to win comfortably leading into a tough England series. There's not more pressure than playing Australia but there's a lot of pressure on guys to actually step up and perform," he said.

But when given a chance to impress playing under the guise of a New Zealand XI against Bangladesh in a Twenty20 match on Sunday, the Kiwis capitulated.

They struggled to 133 for seven which Bangladesh easily overhauled with three overs and four wickets in hand.