The BLACKCAPS will look to maintain their unbeaten ICC World Cup status against Bangladesh in Antigua overnight.
Bangladesh have already proven their potential to provide a banana skin by defeating India in pool play to qualify.
And they have already beaten the New Zealanders in the Caribbean, handing Stephen Fleming’s side a two-wicket defeat in warm-up play last month.
Stephen Fleming’s side have since gone undefeated in the tournament proper, but remain cautious of the threat the Tigers provide.
Victory would keep the BLACKCAPS on course for a semi-final place, but that is not the limit of their captain’s ambitions.
He said: "If we continue the way we're playing we're not far away. I think that's the exciting thing, each game you tick off it becomes one closer to the semi-finals but the final is what we're after.
“We have a tricky game next against Bangladesh, who beat us in the warm-ups, so we’ve got to do some planning, leave this game behind us now and look forward to the next game ahead.”
Fast bowler Mark Gillespie has recovered fully from his shoulder problems, but batsman Ross Taylor’s hamstring strain rules him out, with the next game against Ireland a more realistic target.
Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashur will look to lead his young team back to winning form after a comprehensive 10-wicket defeat to world champions Australia last time out.
He said: “We learned quite a bit from the match. I hope we can take that away from here and not make the same mistakes in the next game.”
A number of individuals have stood out for the subcontinent side, coached by ex-Sri Lanka boss Dav Whatmore.
Left-hander Saqibul Hasan is their leading batsman with 108 runs at an average of 36, while their attack has impressed many.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak is the leading wicket taker with seven, one more than right-arm pacer Mashrafe Mortaza.
Both players took four wickets in the warm-up win over the BLACKCAPS in Barbados.
BLACKCAPS: Stephen Fleming (captain), Shane Bond, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Hamish Marshall, Chris Martin, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori.
Bangladesh: Habibul Bashur (captain), Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Saqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shahadat Hossain, Tapash Baisya, Syed Rasel, Rajin Saleh, Javed Omar.
BLACKCAPS v Bangladesh, Tuesday 3 April (NZ time). Follow the match online at BLACKCAPS.co.nz, on Radio Sport and live on Sky Sports TV
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