Cricket: Black Caps under pressure

It was not supposed to start like this.

New Zealand must beat Bangladesh tonight to keep their ODI series alive, and that's a sentence none but the most optimistic of Bangladeshi supporters would have imagined reading two days ago.

This was supposed to be the beginning of a summer to savour: tests in Australia, the West Indies and India coming, then five ODIs in Australia when it would be the world's two top-ranked ODI countries squaring off.

Climbing to No 2 was to be New Zealand's prize for a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh.

And perhaps that was part of the problem. When all around you are predicting an uncomplicated cleanout, it's hard to keep the mind sharply focused on the job at hand.

Bangladesh, playing determined, smart cricket, thoroughly deserved their first ODI victory over New Zealand and gave themselves the chance to dream of their first series victory over a test-playing nation.

New Zealand, who arrived badly underprepared, did get the worst of the batting conditions, but even so their's was a poorly constructed innings.

The top order lacked technique, concentration and resolve as they were reduced to 79 for six before limping to 201 for nine, courtesy of Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori with a 70-run stand - and haven't we heard that before?

The bowling could have got them out of jail but was not remotely tight or penetrative enough as Bangladesh's batsmen seized the moment.

In the past they've been guilty of squandering winning opportunities. But this is a country which is learning its lessons fast. This time they had an opening, shoved their shoulder to the door and kept it there, winning by seven wickets with 4.3 overs up their sleeve. In ODI terms that's a belting.

So today, New Zealand return to the Shere Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur, 10km outside Dhaka, uncomfortably aware they'll need to shake off the lethargy brought on by a three-month layoff for most of them. That break can cut them some slack, but not much.

"We were 10 per cent off everything," said Oram, who top-scored with 57 but should have been run out twice before he'd reached five.

"Bangladesh played very well and didn't allow us to play anywhere near to how we can. They fully deserved their victory," he told Radio Sport.

"You have to give them credit. In a way, it was a rude awakening for us."

The New Zealand selection was odd. Where Bangladesh produced 32 overs of spin, New Zealand had only Vettori's left armers, the side loaded with medium pacers and dobbers like Scott Styris and Jesse Ryder.

Expect Jeetan Patel's offspin to be in tonight's lineup.

But it was the batting which undid New Zealand on Thursday night. It was a holding pitch, which called for knuckling down, cutting their cloth to suit, putting away the extravagant wafts, and had they reached 230 and been able to put some heat on the Bangladesh top order, the result would likely have been different.