South Africa face Bangladesh hurdle in race for top two spot
The afternoon match in Abu Dhabi will be the fourth match of the Super 12 stage for both teams. South Africa recovered from an opening game loss to Australia to post hard-fought wins against West Indies and Sri Lanka. With just one more game to play after this one, a win is essential for them to stay in reach of a top two spot.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, are looking for their first points in the group, having lost close games to Sri Lanka and West Indies, and been brushed aside by England.
The Tigers' campaign has faltered on several counts. They haven't been able to hit out in the Powerplay, the large ground sizes haven't helped them clear the boundaries as regularly as they would have liked, and their catching has let them down. To compound things further, they have lost Shakib Al Hasan, the No.1 all-rounder on the ICC Men's T20I Rankings, to injury.
While they are almost out of the reckoning for a place in the semi-finals, they will be desperate to make a statement before bowing out. "Obviously morale has been low after those particular losses knowing that our chance in the World Cup are probably over," said Russell Domingo, the coach. "But we'll be ready to play. Mentally the guys will be up for it and know it's an important phase of the competition. Still two games to go. And guys are really determined to put in a good performance."
South Africa haven't been emphatic in their wins, but have been impressive at crucial points of the games. Where Bangladesh have let games slip away, Temba Bavuma's men have scrapped hard to claim the advantage when under pressure. Against Sri Lanka, for example, David Miller and Kagiso Rabada chased 25 in the last two overs by bringing out a few big hits.
Their challenge will be to quickly adjust to conditions in Abu Dhabi, where they suffered their only loss. Scoring has been hard at this ground, even with pacers enjoying success.
The teams have not met in the format since 2017. South Africa have won all six encounters so far.
Fixture details
- The match: South Africa v Bangladesh, Match 30
- Time: 14:00, Tuesday 2 November
- Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
South Africaare unlikely to tinker with a winning combination for a crucial match. Their bowling attack has been clinical, with all the personnel doing well in clearly defined roles and at different times in the innings. Their batting hasn't been fluent, but they will be pleased that different players have stood up at different points.
Possible XI: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi
Match Highlights: South Africa v Sri Lanka
Bangladeshare without the talismanic Shakib Al Hasan, who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. They are also missing wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan, who missed the game against West Indies with a midriff injury. Nasum Ahmed, the left-arm spinner, could be brought back to cover one of Shakib's skills, while all-rounder Shamim Hossain could also get a look in.
Possible XI: Mohammad Naim, Liton Das (wk), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah (capt), Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Shamim Hossain/Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
West Indies v Bangladesh | T20 World Cup | Bangla highlights
Dwaine Pretorius: The South African all-rounder does a very particular role for his team. Coming in to bowl in the second half of the innings, he has been successful in cleaning up the middle and lower order at the death. His variations of pace, and tendency to bowl full and wide on surfaces that keep low make him effective. Against both West Indies and Sri Lanka, he finished with an identical 3/17.
"I'm trying to vary my pace and my lengths quite a bit even though my line is the same, keeping the guys guessing," he said. "And then I'm trying to make sure I'm bowling to the batters' plan Cs and Ds instead of their plan A. It's not an ego battle out there; it's trying to be effective as much as possible."
**Mahedi Hasan:**The Bangladesh off-spinner doesn't turn the ball much, but has plenty of variations that make him a threat in the Powerplay. He may be used to attack the left-handers in the South African side and deny them scoring opportunities. He is yet to fire with the bat, although he got a promotion up the order in an earlier game. With Shakib missing, any additional contribution with the bat will be important for the team.
Captaincy Pick - Tabraiz Shamsi
The top-ranked T20I bowler has to be the top captaincy pick for today's match. He is coming into the game on the back of a player of the match performance against Sri Lanka, where he took three wickets and two catches, while giving away only 17 runs. He has been one of the most consistent performers for South Africa in 2021, having picked 32 wickets at a strike rate of 14.2 in 20 T20Is.
Must-have - Mustafizur Rahman
In the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur will be crucial to Bangladesh's bowling plans against South Africa. The left-arm pacer has scalped eight wickets at a strike rate of 16.5 in six matches played in the T20 World Cup so far. Adding to that, his impressive form in 2021 makes him a must-have where he has picked 26 wickets in 17 T20Is.
Russell Domingo: Bangladesh's master coach | T20 World Cup
If South Africa win, they can cement their position as second on the group ahead of Australia, who have played a game fewer. If Bangladesh win, they will likely throw the group open and rise up from the bottom of the table.
Russell Domingo, Bangladesh coach:"Having worked with South Africa for a long time myself, we know that there's always a question mark regarding the way they play spin. Hopefully the conditions will help us a little bit tomorrow ... [Shakib's injury is] a big loss for the balance of this side. But also in terms of his leadership and the calmness that he brings around the environment in pressure situations, that aspect will be lost. But it does provide an opportunity for someone new to maybe make his first World Cup appearance tomorrow, and we've got to see that as a positive for whoever that young player is going to be."
Dwaine Pretorius, South Africa all-rounder:"What astonishes me is how this team has stuck together. Doesn't really matter what controversy has come out ... If you think about when this group of, let's say, 20 players got together, it's been a few months now. So the guys are, really it's cliché, but we're really forming a family. And that's probably one of the biggest advantages we have when it comes to COVID and bubble life. You're really forced to spend a lot of time together. And you start realising how much it actually means to each other to be playing for your country."