Lockie Ferguson celebrates the wicket of Sabbir Rahman. Photo / Getty Images
There was literally a head-and-shoulders difference between the New Zealand and Bangladesh cricket teams in yesterday's opening one-day international in Christchurch.
The hosts won by 77 runs after equaling the ground ODI record of 341 for seven, and dismissing the visitors for 264.
The gulf between the two sides does
not appear major, but subtle variances in the bowling targets gave the Black Caps an advantage.
New Zealand preferred to aim their shorter balls at opposition helmets, meaning batsmen would be encouraged to swerve out of the way, take their eyes off the ball or hit in the air; five of the nine Bangladesh wickets to fall, came in that fashion.
Bangladesh failed to generate the same bounce on the Hagley Oval wicket, resulting in balls which could be pulled, hooked or cut with more control at chest height. Only one of New Zealand's seven wickets came in the same fashion as Bangladesh when Kane Williamson had a larrup at a short, wide ball outside off stump.
Lockie Ferguson, with his excess pace, was a key proponent of the strategy for New Zealand. In his third one-day international, and first at home, he took three for 54 from nine overs. Each wicket - Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman and Taskin Ahmed - was generated from a shorter ball.
"If you bowl in the mid-torso region in international cricket it often gets hit to the boundary," Ferguson said. "When you bowl higher, batsmen tend to hit the ball upwards and catches come. Some might go for six - that's part of the game - but if we get a few in that area and make things uncomfortable, then the wickets fall."
Ferguson was asked whether Bangladesh were susceptible to the short ball, given they tend to play on flat wickets at home.
"I think you've hit the nail on the head. They are probably not used to the pace and bounce. That's an area we'd like to exploit."
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza also reference the tactic in his plaudits for Tom Latham.
"He was up to the mark... and took the game from us. If we could've restricted them to 300 it might have been a different game.
"We bowled too many short balls to him. The New Zealand bowlers did it better by delivering them at head height. Ours were chest height which made them easier to play."
