PICTURE PERFECT: Ben Wheeler shows his class in Southampton, England, last winter. PHOTO/PHOTOSPORT
THEY recently embarrassed England in an ODI and test match but the Banga Boys aren't likely to create any seismic shifts this tour, no matter how earthquake prone New Zealand may be.
It's no disrespect to the tourists but McLean Park, or for that matter Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui for the next two matches of the ANZ International Series, aren't the familiar strips at Dhaka or Mirpur where the Tigers mauled the Poms last October.
Okay, so the Bangladesh opening pair of Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes did show on Saturday at Saxton Oval, Nelson, that they are capable of producing lusty sixes which, when factoring in the lottery nature of Twenty20, always comes with the promise of an upset when they tee off from 7pm tomorrow.
For the best part of the three-match one-day series, Bangaldesh have struggled with the conditions here although they have compounded their problems with some elementary mistakes, especially in fielding.
The mention of international cricket will have tickled farmers and gardeners pink but if the parched Bay is anything to go by, the forecast for "periods of rain, NE turning southwest", is unlikely to abandon a 20-over affair.
For Black Caps coach Mike Hesson it must surely be a time to inject the Bruces, Wheelers, Workers and Rances of domestic cricket - with a Central Districts eye patch on here - simply because they have made all the right noises for some compelling reinforcement, if not guarantees of ascending to the higher echelons of cricket that some Kiwi kids grow up dreaming of.
Blenheim seamer Ben Wheeler, a six-match ODI campaigner abroad last winter, made it as far as his "hometown" venue of Saxton Oval last week, but didn't get on the park.
To represent one's country at home, it goes without saying, is a taking international cricket to another plane.
The nerves must be jangled to the max simply waiting to find out from Hesson and captain Kane Williamson as to who is in the starting XI tomorrow.
In some respects CD batsman Tom Bruce, also at the cusp of making his debut in any form of the game for his country, must be on tenterhooks.
"We're excited. There'll always be a few nerves for the first game but, nah, look, it's a great environment in the Black Caps so he [Bruce] should fit in just fine. It's out of our control," said Wheeler yesterday not long after arriving with the New Zealand team mid-afternoon.
It's a fair point because the nerves must be shot minutes before facing the first ball that goes on to shape a career or put it on hold, although the smart money is on not throwing those who stutter on the scrap heap of less memorable starts.
He has watched the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee take it to a different intensity and appreciates he'll have to emulate the execution of their skills combined with what he brings to the equation.
"There's a chance with those two out but there's Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson who whistle it down there pretty quick so there's still competition for spots, so yeah, I guess with them being rested there's an opportunity for me to have a crack."
No one wants to sit on the bench for too long and Wheeler is no exception.
"It's disappointing not to play but it's good to be among the team so to be in the Black Caps' environment is always good fun."
In a frighteningly similar sort of mantra in the CD squad, the 25-year-old right armer said it was simply a case of putting in the hard yards at the nets and hoping the selectors would reward him a debut in T20.
"I haven't played for the Black Caps in Twenty20 yet so, yeah, it's obviously exciting to have the chance to play the game at home in front of a home crowd," he said.
For Wheeler, who has been living and plying his trade in Napier where the CD headquarters is based, the city has become his home away from home.
"It's definitely my second home and McLean Park and Napier are obviously pretty familiar to me, so it feels like home in a way," he said from his flat last night while the rest of the Black Caps stayed at a hotel.
Having left the Stags stable, with the blessings of coach Heinrich Malan and co, Wheeler has watched the William Young-skippered CD book a ticket straight to the grand final of the McDonald's Super Smash T20 this Saturday.
"Hopefully I can continue doing what I have been doing for the Stags while waiting for my chance to do the same for the Black Caps."
He is quietly pleased to have stayed free of injuries this summer and the results reflect his quality time out in the middle, especially with the ball.
"You get a bit of extra confidence in your game so I haven't really changed too much by going out there with familiar plans and execute them the best I can."
His batting is a work in progress but asking for middle and off on the crease would help.
"In the T20 season you don't get too much because old Bruiser's been hogging all the runs so, no, we've been going so well I've only had to come out a couple of times towards the end to clear the ropes and I've managed to get a few out off the middle at different stages."