BSS, Dhaka :
After an embarrassing Test series defeat, Bangladesh will be looking to restore some of their lost pride as they take on host South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series scheduled to be held today (Sunday) at The Diamond Oval, Kimberley.
The match kicks off at 2 pm (BST). The Tigers have an opportunity to show their worth in the ODI series in presence of their two key players. Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was sorely missed during the Test series, when they registered just one score in excess of 200.
A reminder of his status as Bangladesh’s most reliable batsman in foreign conditions was served in a warm-up match in Bloemfontein on Thursday, when he top-scored with 68 in his first knock of the tour.
Speedster and captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s present definitely boost the team’s performance as his arrival will add the sort of bowling muscle that Faf du Plessis felt Bangladesh lacked in the Test series. His presence should also free Mushfiqur Rahim up after a harrowing Test series for the wicketkeeper-batsman.
While speculation over Mushfiqur’s future as Test captain still lingers, he may see a new format as an opportunity to get back to his natural game. Another positive for Bangladesh will be South Africa’s largely second-string pace attack.
With Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Chris Morris all out injured, only Kagiso Rabada remains from the first-choice line-up. Rabada’s presence was more than enough when he led the attack in the second Test and took 10 wickets, but the hope for Bangladesh will be that another week in
South Africa will have given their batsmen further time to adapt.
One final cause for optimism is that the shorter format is one in which Tigers has had success for some time. While they only recently began to beat the big teams in Test matches, their form in ODIs has been improving rapidly since the 2015 World Cup.
In that time, Bangladesh even won a series against the big teams like South Africa – albeit on home turf. In the Champions Trophy in June, The Tigers were seen more competitive in every match, the highlight being their remarkable comeback against New Zealand in conditions that suited fast bowlers.
The Tigers should be more competitive than they were in the Test matches, but they will need to be at the top of their game to achieve a positive outcome in the next three matches. Dashing opener Tamim Iqbal is not expected to recover from his thigh injury in time, leaving Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar as the likely openers.
Liton Das was tried as a number three batsman in the warm-up game without success, but may be given another chance. Otherwise Sabbir Rahman could move up the order after scoring a half-century in that game.
Squads: Bangladesh XI (probable): Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.
South Africa XI(probable): Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis (captain), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell/Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir.
After an embarrassing Test series defeat, Bangladesh will be looking to restore some of their lost pride as they take on host South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series scheduled to be held today (Sunday) at The Diamond Oval, Kimberley.
The match kicks off at 2 pm (BST). The Tigers have an opportunity to show their worth in the ODI series in presence of their two key players. Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was sorely missed during the Test series, when they registered just one score in excess of 200.
A reminder of his status as Bangladesh’s most reliable batsman in foreign conditions was served in a warm-up match in Bloemfontein on Thursday, when he top-scored with 68 in his first knock of the tour.
Speedster and captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s present definitely boost the team’s performance as his arrival will add the sort of bowling muscle that Faf du Plessis felt Bangladesh lacked in the Test series. His presence should also free Mushfiqur Rahim up after a harrowing Test series for the wicketkeeper-batsman.
While speculation over Mushfiqur’s future as Test captain still lingers, he may see a new format as an opportunity to get back to his natural game. Another positive for Bangladesh will be South Africa’s largely second-string pace attack.
With Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Chris Morris all out injured, only Kagiso Rabada remains from the first-choice line-up. Rabada’s presence was more than enough when he led the attack in the second Test and took 10 wickets, but the hope for Bangladesh will be that another week in
South Africa will have given their batsmen further time to adapt.
One final cause for optimism is that the shorter format is one in which Tigers has had success for some time. While they only recently began to beat the big teams in Test matches, their form in ODIs has been improving rapidly since the 2015 World Cup.
In that time, Bangladesh even won a series against the big teams like South Africa – albeit on home turf. In the Champions Trophy in June, The Tigers were seen more competitive in every match, the highlight being their remarkable comeback against New Zealand in conditions that suited fast bowlers.
The Tigers should be more competitive than they were in the Test matches, but they will need to be at the top of their game to achieve a positive outcome in the next three matches. Dashing opener Tamim Iqbal is not expected to recover from his thigh injury in time, leaving Imrul Kayes and Soumya Sarkar as the likely openers.
Liton Das was tried as a number three batsman in the warm-up game without success, but may be given another chance. Otherwise Sabbir Rahman could move up the order after scoring a half-century in that game.
Squads: Bangladesh XI (probable): Imrul Kayes, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.
South Africa XI(probable): Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis (captain), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Wayne Parnell/Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir.
