Daniel Vettori, at the receiving end of an unprecedented whitewash at the hands of Bangladesh, was critical of New Zealand's batting which failed yet again as the hosts took the series 4-0. New Zealand had been reduced to 20 for 5 in their chase of 174 in the final ODI in Mirpur before Vettori stepped up to lead a recovery with Grant Elliott that proved inadequate.
"The [batting] was symptomatic of our performances all the way through - we've been five down quite early on. We bowled so well and we let ourselves down with the bat again," Vettori said after the match. "We have had a dreadful series and we are obviously extremely disappointed. The focus should be on how well Bangladesh played, particularly their captain Shakib Al Hasan who was outstanding throughout the series."
Shakib topped the runs and wickets charts, and had sealed the historic series win in the previous game with a century and three wickets. He top-scored for his team again today, with 36, and picked up two wickets in the three-run win. "We played really good cricket this series. We didn't bat well the way we wanted, we need to improve on that. But our boys showed character and came hard at the New Zealand team," Shakib said.
The reversal has dealt New Zealand a major setback in their preparations for the 2011 World Cup, and a tougher series awaits in India next month. "India are arguably the best team in the world in their own conditions, they have just come off beating Australia," Vettori said. "So, it's going to be a mammoth test for us. If we can regroup and play well there, then hopefully some people can forgive us back home."