After securing two valuable points against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will now be fighting to facilitate their Super 8 chances when they take on South Africa in their second match of the T20 World Cup at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York today.
Tigers started their World Cup campaign with a struggling win over their neighbouring rivals Sri Lanka in a last-over thriller. The win in Dallas put them in the second position of Group D just behind South Africa who are at the top with four points from two wins in two matches. Team Tigers would like to continue their winning spree as they will be fighting to secure a spot in the Super 8.
While Bangladesh’s batting remains a concern, their bowling department was brilliant in their first match against Sri Lanka. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain’s brilliant spell and Towhid Hridoy’s blasting 40 in the first match might boost their confidence for their second match against the Proteas.
However, the fact remains that Bangladesh have never beaten South Africa in the T20s in the eight matches they have played. But Tigers skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is confident his side can fight against all the odds. He said, “I believe, if we can play our game, we can beat any team in the world.”
"Our bowlers have been in top form for some time now. They have the ability to wreak havoc on any batting lineup in the world. I hope they will continue to do what they have been doing over the years," Shanto said to the press.
Just as Shanto said, Bangladesh’s strongest weapon against the Proteas will surely be their disciplined bowling attack led by Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman. The absence of a leggie in major tournaments like these, who can turn the flow of the game on any given day, has made Bangladesh suffer for years. The inclusion of Rishad might be proven as their x-factor this time around.
Anyhow, the result of the match will entirely depend on how Shanto and Co will take on Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim scored three runs in the first match while Soumya Sarkar was once again out without scoring a run. Liton Das made 36 off 38 balls in a strike rate of 94 while Shanto made seven off 13 balls.
When asked, captain Shanto said, “I am not worried about batting that much. You can't expect all batters to fire up every day. But it is true there is room to work. We have been working hard to fix our batting problems."
South Africa, on the other hand, made a winning start to their World Cup campaign beating Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Those wins were not easy to grab as South African batters were not comfortable scoring runs on the slow pitch of Nassau County. There was a point where the Proteas had four wickets scoring only 12 runs against the Netherlands. If the slow pitch remains a factor, it will only be favourable to Bangladesh.
"New York will host the India vs Pakistan match ahead of our match against South Africa. So, we will get some idea about the pitch," Bangladesh captain Shanto said.
Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Travelling reserves: Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.
South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeze Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs. Reserves: Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.
