||Desk Report||

Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said on Monday that his teammates need to raise their game ahead of the World Cup and to make that happens the top-order need to take up the responsibility.

New Zealand clinched the series by winning the opening two games comprehensively at Napier and Christchurch while visitors need to make a rear-guard effort to make sure they are not facing similar embarrassment.

 “Whoever comes in need to bat long,’’ Tamim told reporters ahead of the third ODI. “To be honest I will only hope that we don’t give away the game in the opening 10 overs because if you lose a couple of wickets in the opening 10 overs it gets difficult to make a comeback,’’ he said.

“I think we did that in the opening two games and paid the price and we hope not to make those mistakes in the next game,’’ he said. Tamim added that he does not understand why they are failing to earn their maiden win against New Zealand at their own den as they have done that at home as well as in England and Ireland.

“I don’t know why we are failing to beat them here despite we came to New Zealand on three to four occasions,’’ said Tamim. Because we have beaten them in Ireland and England and so there is no reason why we cannot beat them here.