Santner hopes New Zealand carry confidence into Bangladesh match

ISLAMABAD: New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner hopes his team will carry the confidence gained from a recent run of success in Pakistan into its next Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh on Monday.

The Black Caps won a tri-nations series against Pakistan and South Africa and then opened their Champions Trophy campaign with a convincing 60-run win over their hosts, the defending champions, in Karachi.

“It’s a nice position to have,” Santner said in Rawalpindi on Sunday. “I think obviously the lead-in we had with that tri-nations series and now the guys will take a lot of confidence in that going into Bangladesh game.”

New Zealand beat Pakistan in the opening tri-series game, with Glenn Phillips hitting a century, overcame South Africa with a hundred by Kane Williamson, and then defeated Pakistan in the final, with Tom Latham and Will Young both notching centuries.

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“Again, it’s probably a reset (against Bangladesh), because it’s a different surface, a different team, but I think the way different guys have been performing is pleasing,” Santner said.

“I think they’re a very good team at the moment,” Santner said of Group A opponents Bangladesh, who lost their first match against India in Dubai.

“I think they’ve always had the spin department covered, but now they’ve got some very good quick bowlers coming through.”

Santner said Bangladesh would still be competitive despite missing experienced allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was not selected for the tournament.

“Obviously, we’ve seen how good Shakib has been for a long time,” Santner said. “He’s proven that he can perform in all conditions.”

“But still they’ve got obviously Rishad (Hossain) coming in, who’s a very good leg-spinner. Mehidy (Hasan Miraz) has done it. (Mohammad) Mahmudullah, if he plays, can offer some good overs as well, so I think their balance is good at the moment.”