Image courtesy of: MSN
“We are preparing for every scenario”
New Zealand opening batsman Peter Fulton, who scored back-to-back half-centuries during the first Test against Bangladesh, has revealed that the pitch in Mirpur “may turn more than it did in Chittagong”.
Fulton also noted that New Zealand are “keen to win the match”, but added that Bangladesh will not go down without a fight.
“We are definitely keen to win the match,” Fulton said. “I am sure Bangladesh will also be keen. So regardless of the wicket, both teams will try to get a result. It looks very dry, not a lot of grass on it. It is similar to the Chittagong game, preparing it to be low and slow.
“The wicket may turn more than it did in Chittagong. We are preparing for every scenario. It is not necessarily easy to get results. Five days is a long time in a Test match. If we improve on our first Test performance, we can get a result.”
Fulton also credited the Bangladesh spinners for their brilliant performance during the first Test.
“The Bangladesh spinners bowled well, as we expected them to,” Fulton said. “They kept it quite tight. They probably came into it a bit more on the last day when we were pushing for a declaration. Our spinners got better as the game went on. They can learn from the first Test. As a bowling unit, if we can be patient for a little bit longer, we will pick up wickets.”
The 34-year-old also remembers how he hit a rank long-hop straight to cover and threw his wicket away on 73 in the first innings of the first Test.
“It is not easy to bat here with the heat,” Fulton admitted. “You have to work hard for runs. We have to get off to a good start which will set the team up for a result. I found it hard in the first innings with the heat. Like all the guys, we adjusted little bit and found things a little bit easier.”
Fulton is also hoping his opening partner, Hamish Rutherford, who scored 34 and 32 in the first Test, manages to stick around for a longer period of time in the second Test.
“He is quite an aggressive player, so sometimes he might not push on to get the big scores as he would like,” Fulton said. “He is a very good player, and very aggressive at the start which takes the pressure off me.”