Oram wary of Bangladesh threat

Jacob Oram prepares for New Zealand's first ODI against hosts Bangladesh

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New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram is expecting Bangladesh to be a far tougher proposition at home than they were in their last series in New Zealand.

The Bangladesh team lost the one-day series 3-0 last December after going down by six wickets in the first match, 102 runs in the second, on the Duckworth-Lewis method, before being rolled by 10 wickets in the third after managing just 93. New Zealand took just six overs to reach their target.

The Black Caps begin the latest three match one-day series on Thursday and Oram is not expecting quite such a smooth ride.

“I think we are going to have a lot tougher time of it here because of where we’re playing, what we’re playing on, the heat and humidity which for us is foreign,” he said.

“Having said that, if we play our best we should come out on top. For us it’s more about keeping our standards high and just trying to worry about our own processes.”

Only five of the current squad have toured Bangladesh before – Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris and Kyle Mills – but the all-rounder believes adjusting to the subcontinent conditions and low, slow pitches will not be an issue.

“Most of the guys, if not all of them, have played on the subcontinent before and I suppose if you’ve been to one country on the subcontinent you’ve been to them all because they are very similar in their conditions,” he added.

Oram insisted staying motivated against opposition ranked near the bottom of the standings was not as difficult as many people might expect.

Jeetan Patel and Oram arrive for training in Dhaka ahead of Thursday's first one-dayer at Mirpur

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“If you have your expectations on how you should play and every time you walk out on to the field, no matter who you are playing for or who you are playing against, then (motivation) shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.

“I think it’s when you start to become a bit complacent and you start picking and choosing your timing to turn it on and off that you come unstuck.

“Bangladesh at home is tough opposition. If you drop your guard they will take full advantage. We have got to make sure we’re on top of our game when the series starts.”

Oram expects the Bangladesh batting line-up to present a challenge to the New Zealand bowlers, even with some of the hosts’ most experienced players ineligible.

“The batsman they have are all shot makers,” added Oram. “They like to play their shots. Over here the pitches don’t bounce that much and they can afford to trust the bounce and there’s not a lot of movement on the pitch through the line. Guys like Iqbal and Ashraful are going to be tough to close down.

“Also, the bowlers know how to bowl in these conditions, especially spinners, and they will certainly get more than they did back in New Zealand. I think they will be well-conditioned to bowl on these pitches out here.”