'We will show you what we're capable of' - Ashraful

Mohammad Ashraful demands Bangladesh give it all in the third and final one-day international in Queenstown after an "unacceptable" performance in the second match. Bangladesh have already conceded the best-of-three series 2-0 to New Zealand but Ashraful felt his side could come back hard ahead of the two Tests.

"I believe we can recover from the performance in Napier," he told the Sunday Star Times. "Our effort in that match was not up to our usual standard and we're capable of playing much better than that hopefully we can prove that here in Queenstown.

"We need to lift our game in all the main areas but particularly in terms of producing a better performance in our middle order. We can't afford to lose wickets so quickly; we need to make better decisions when the pressure is on."

From Queenstown, Bangladesh will travel to Dunedin to begin preparations for the first Test. Ashraful, 23, was glad to have the services of Test specialists Habibul Bashar, Shahriar Nafees and Enamul Haque jnr, who fly into Auckland today. Bangladesh have a single win in 49 Tests, against a weak Zimbabwe side in 2004-05, and Ashraful called on his players to play hard against New Zealand.

Assessing the opposition, who were completely outclassed in a two-Test series in South Africa recently, Ashraful felt they were a formidable side. "I don't think New Zealand are vulnerable in the Tests, despite what happened to them in South Africa," he said. "They're a good side; they fight very hard and they're especially tough to play in their own conditions."

The second and final Test, also the last match of the tour, starts in Wellington on January 12.