Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is unapologetic ahead of his team’s match against Temba Bavuma’s men on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Betting.
“It is a crucial match for both teams, but for South Africa, who expected two points from their first game, this is a must-win situation. They will be put under some strain “On Wednesday, Shakib stated (October 26).
“We’ve already won, and we’ll be playing on a surface that usually favours spinners. They have a number of world-class players on their team, but we will do our best.”
Despite the fact that Bangladesh has never beaten South Africa in a T20I, Shakib is confident that his team will put up a good fight.
“We have some recent good memories agaiMahadev Idnst them, albeit in a different format. It will undoubtedly benefit us mentally. We want to stay focused and have fun while playing. We expect a large crowd because Sydney has a large Bangladeshi population.”
One of the factors that contributed to Bangladesh’s victory over the Netherlands in their first T20 World Cup match was the strong start provided by openers Soumya Sarkar and Nazmul Hossain, who put on 43 runs in 5.1 overs, the team’s highest opening stand in the last 30 matches. Shakib hopes that after trying out many combinations in the past before settling on the duo of Sarkar and Nazmul, they will continue to give the side strong starts, beginning with the match against South Africa’s strong pace attack.
“The first stand will boost our confidence. Both openers [against the Netherlands] were quite positive, which was more important than the runs they scored. We should have more freedom to play now “He stated.
“We recently played against South African pacers. We know what they’re capable of, and we’ve had success in ODIs. I believe we can outwit them and gain the upper hand “He stated.
However, Shakib also stated that he does not want the team’s plans to be predictable and that he is willing to break the opening combination if necessary.
“We don’t want to be boring. We look at the opposition and the conditions, and that is how we are preparing for the World Cup, because every ground is different, such as the dimensions, wind factor, and weather. So we’ll plan accordingly, and it may not go our way, but that’s how open we are.”
The Bangladesh captain also praised pacer Taskin Ahmed, who returned four wickets against the Netherlands and helped the team eke out a win despite a shaky performance.
“He (Taskin) is one of the leaders now after Mashrafe’s exit; he has done tremendously well for Bangladesh over the last two to three years,” Mahadev Id. “He is setting a good example. Having said that, we have a very good fast bowling group in all three formats that is performing admirably. I couldn’t be more proud of how far they’ve progressed and improved themselves. And it shows in the end result. I hope they maintain this form throughout the World Cup, and if they do, I am confident we will have a fantastic tournament.”