New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has admitted that the 2010 series defeat against Bangladesh was damaging and hurtful to the players and country. However, he sees this tour as a chance to set things right, and is looking for wins across all three formats.
In that five-match ODI series in Dhaka three years ago, Bangladesh crushed the visitors 4-0, with Shakib Al Hasan leading the way with several match-winning performances.
"The 2010 series was a good lesson of what not to do," McCullum said. "We were ill-prepared leading up to that series. It still hurts. It was a damaging tour for many people. It hurt a lot of people's career, and hurt our country as well.
"The big challenge for us is to ensure we get the results which is obviously a series win across all three formats of the game. That's the expectation of us, and we are better prepared for it."
Immediately after the loss in Bangladesh, New Zealand didn't win a match in India out of eight games. They however did bounce back to make it to the 2011 World Cup semi-final, won a Test match in Australia and registered an ODI series win over South Africa in South Africa.
But there were scars, as there have been changes in captaincy from Daniel Vettori to Ross Taylor and now McCullum. Coaches too have changed, with Mike Hesson now in charge.
McCullum however has a few tricks up his sleeve ahead of this tour. Legspinner Ish Sodhi is highly rated in New Zealand, and has a big chance of making his Test debut.
"He [Sodhi] has a big opportunity to make his debut. The conditions over here will suit spin bowlers, and his ability to bowl the variations will bring him in the reckoning," McCullum said. "As Dan Vettori said, he is an incredible talent. He's a rough diamond at this point in time. If he does get the nod, we want to let him express himself. I want to protect him by giving the right fields and encourage him."
McCullum is also mulling over whether it should be Dean Brownlie or Corey Anderson in the line-up, with the latter possessing a variation in his left-arm seam that could come in handy against Bangladesh's batsmen. "If we do decide on an allrounder, he needs to bat in the top six. Corey's performance has banged on the door. We have to work out between him and Dean, who we require in that middle-order, and who's going to be most effective against the Bangladesh spin bowlers."
But McCullum also admitted that as far as some of the Bangladesh players are concerned, there are gaps in information in the New Zealand ranks. They've not faced the likes of Sohag Gazi, Anamul Haque and Robiul Islam, who have been impressive in their early foray in international cricket.
"There are a few surprises [in the Bangladesh team]. It's hard to get footage of these guys, but you get an idea of what they bowl and bat like. Few of us have played against these guys and talked to guys back home who have been involved in tournaments here. We are not 100% clear on them, but we are a fair way there."
