Bangladesh - New Zealand, 1st ODI

This series kicked off with a surprising and an historic start in Dhaka, with Bangladesh recording their first ever victory over the New Zealand side. It is a victory that can only serve to bring hope to the fractured and confused Bangladeshi cricketing scene.

New Zealand found batting troublesome, with Jesse Ryder being the only one of the established batsmen making many runs (34). However Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak did not make it easy for them, taking 4-44 and 3-32 respectively. When Jacob Oram took to the crease, the score was a mere 65-5, somewhat disastrous. However, things did not stop here and the turbulence continues with Daniel Flynn remover, the score stood at 79-6. Oram's innings however was mature and masterful given the position that New Zealand found themselves in. He scored 57 off 85 balls and was ably supported by Daniel Vettori, whose captain's knock of 30 would prove invaluable. The Black Caps finished at 201-9 in 50 overs, something that was fairly respectable given the earlier troubles that they had been in.

Bangladesh's response however began in a familiar tone, with the loss of the first wicket occuring at only 18. However, Junaid Siddique steadied the ship with a personal best of 85 being lent support from Mushfiqur Rahim (30). The swashbuckling performance of Mohammad Ashraful,, with a quickfire 60 from 56 balls took the Bangladesh side over the line for only their sixth ODI victory against one of the major eight cricketing nations.

New Zealand will no doubt look for some scapegoats for their poor performance in this game and I would not be surprised if they make a host of changes for the second game starting on Saturday. However, if they do not, players will need to make a much greater impression if they expect to continue in their positions. Well done Bangladesh, and lets hope the series continues in this record breaking way!