Preview: Bangladesh hope to turn around poor record against South Africa

Over the eight editions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Bangladesh have managed to win just eight matches, six of them coming against Netherlands, Oman, Nepal and PNG. Their record against the top teams in this format is rather ordinary and South Africa is no exception.

In the seven T20Is between these sides, Bangladesh haven't won a single game and their challenge multiplies in Australia, where the conditions play right into South Africa's hands.

There's a forecast for rain in the morning to delay the start of play, but we should still have a game. Another washout is the last thing South Africa would want after they missed out on points against Zimbabwe when they were 13 runs away from a win with the cut-off time crossed.

Early setbacks can be difficult to come back from in a tournament as short as this, as South Africa found out in UAE last year, when their loss in the first game to Australia - and their only loss in the tournament - spelled doom to their campaign.

The SCG isn't a venue full of runs, so Bangladesh will fancy their chances, especially if the ball takes turn. South Africa's batting line-up is one of the strongest in the tournament, but if Bangladesh can get a couple of early wickets, it will set the cat among the pigeons in a middle-order famed for power.

With the ball, South Africa are likely to stick with the one-spinner ploy, with Tabraiz Shamsi expected to continue on the bench. Bangladesh will need their batters to step up to push South Africa. It's notable that no Bangladesh batter has made even a half-century against a Proteas attack in T20Is.

That said, Bangladesh have quite a few match-winners in the side and South Africa are sorely in need of points after the early wipeout.

"We’d obviously have loved to win in the first game and we know now what pressure we have in terms of going forward in the tournament. To say we’re under more pressure, I would say it’s pretty equal if you looking to win the World Cup. May the best team win," Lungi Ngidi said ahead of the match.

Shakib wasted no chance to pile on the pressure on the Proteas ahead of the game. "They will have a bit more pressure on them. It's almost a do-or-die match for them," he said while addressing the media.

Even as South Africa try to downplay the impact of the first game, there's no denying that they cannot afford to go back from this fixture with zero points if they are to push for a semi-final berth.

South Africa

Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

Bangladesh

Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud

**Aiden Markram:**Since finding his feet in T20 cricket, there's been no turning back for Aiden Markram, who has swiftly moved from opener to a middle-order batter and fit in snugly into South Africa's jam-packed batting line-up. Markram's ball-striking abilities aside, he has developed his game against spin and is turning into one of the most eye-catching middle-order batters in T20 cricket today.

**Shakib Al Hasan:**It'll be tricky for Bangladesh to try and win their first T20I game against South Africa without a contribution from Shakib. While they would need him to step up with the bat to combat South Africa's pace, they'll also hope his left-arm spin can yield wickets through the middle overs, where South Africa boast the best scoring rate this year.

Captaincy Pick: Quinton de Kock

The flamboyant South Africa opener can attack from the word go. His 18-ball 47 against Zimbabwe, laced with eight fours and one six, took the Proteas closer to the chase of 80 in nine overs before rain showers spoiled the mood. De Kock has scored 1337 runs in 71 innings in powerplay overs at a strike rate of 140.73, including 152 boundaries and 50 sixes. The left-handed batter has amassed 131 runs in four matches against Bangladesh at 32.75 and a strike rate of 133.67.

Must-have Pick: Taskin Ahmed

The Bangladesh bowler can do a lot of damage with his pace. The best example is his career-best numbers of 4/25 in the recent game against the Netherlands which helped the Tigers defend a modest score of 144 in the first innings. Taskin has claimed 32 dismissals in 42 T20Is at an average of 33.91. Bangladesh will have many expectations from its speedster.

Differential Pick: David Miller

David Miller and T20I cricket is a match made in heaven. The South African senior player is playing in his fourth T20 World Cup and is considered the backbone of the current batting line-up. Miller has scored 176 runs in 11 T20 World Cup innings at a scoring rate of 141.94. He did not bat in their first T20I game against Zimbabwe but can blaze away by wielding his willow with vigour. The southpaw has accumulated 2069 runs in 108 T20I matches over a stellar career.