South Africa vs Bangladesh T20I: Bangladesh needs a bit of magic right now

As the T20 World Cup Super 12s stage reaches crunch-time, South Africa will clash against Bangladesh. South Africans come into the game after a last-over win against Sri Lanka while Bangladesh suffered a last-over heartbreak in a loss to the Windies. The group is wide open but Bangladesh has little-to-no chance of qualifying now while South Africans must win this game to solidify the squad’s chances for the Semis. For a brief look at the scenario, simply head to the “Expert Betting Tips” section.

South Africa: Varied toolkit but not clinical yet

South African bowling efforts have somehow kept the campaign alive. While Kagiso Rabada has been decent so far, Anrich Nortje’s pace has disrupted all the opponents. The most surprising bowler has been Dwaine Pretorius, who has scrapped three wickets in each of the lost two contests, bothering batters with his wide yorkers and slower balls. In the last game, Tabraiz Shamsi was the star of the show, a performance that brought him three wickets.with a Player of the Match award. Keshav Maharaj has also done job and overall, the bowling has conceded only 119, 143, and 142 in three games. Rabada has been an exceptional fielder for South Africans and the bowlers have received tremendous help from the fielding overall.

Markram leads the batting, Bavuma huffs-and-puffs, Miller showed his guns

Aiden Markram has scored 40 or more in two of the three games so far, by far looking like the most free-flowing batter among the whole South African team. Temba Bavuma made 46 runs in 46 balls during the last game and despite a struggling innings, he kept one end alive. We have not seen a Quinton de Kock special yet while Rassie van Der Dussen has shown some lovely touch so far. David Millers’ twin sixes showed in the last game that he has a lot left in the tank and overall, the batting has somehow managed to pull through despite not presenting anything clinical except against the Windies. What will Reeza Hendricks do in the next game as the opener?

Injury concerns and Overall takeaways

Questionable for the next game- David Miller has a hamstring niggle and can miss the game if the issue persists before the game. However, the biggest concern comes in regards to the lead spin-bowler Tabraiz Shamsi who has a groin strain. If these two end up not playing it will strike a big blow. Will Bjorn Fortuin and Heinrich Klassen be recalled?

Overall, the Saffas have shown that they can scrap out brilliant efforts and have some “X-Factor” players, they have not been clinical, yes, but their bowling has been exceptional so far. They can take advantage of a vulnerable and crestfallen Bangladesh right now but will they? Peak performers for Saffas in the group stage are given below:

• Highest wicket-takers: Dwaine Pretorius: 6, Anrich Nortje: 5, T Shamsi: 4;
• Highest run scorers: Aiden Markram: 110 runs, Rassie van der Dussen: 61 runs, Temba Bavuma: 60 runs, Reeza Hendricks: 50 runs;
• Most catches (not by a wicketkeeper): Kagiso Rabada and Rassie van Der Dussen: 3.

Who will find rhythm?

As if to pinch the wounds, Bangladesh lost key player and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan with an injury for the last two games. Talking about wounds, Bangladesh lost the last game on the last ball but the team didn’t exactly put on a show with the bat. Chasing 142, the team couldn’t accelerate at any point and in the end left too much to get. Naim has bagged a 60+ score in the Super 12s so far but he has not been free-flowing. Liton Das did score 44 after a poor run before, but took 43 balls and didn’t time the ball all too well. Mushfiqur Rahim only got 8 in the last match but when he came to bat, the pressure of runs required him to go at it hard. Mahmudullah did play some handsome shots but couldn’t finish the business. Now, with Shakib Al Hasan out, even though he was out of form, how will the team bounce back?

The bowling can be improved

Mehedi Hasan scrapped 2 wickets against the Windies and looked in great touch, however with his spin partner Shakib out, he will be carrying a huge weight. Will this mark a recall of Nasum Ahmed? When Mustafizur controlled runs, he didn’t get a wicket but when he got 2 in the last game, he got blown away for 43 runs, albeit in a late-game situation. However, the two seamers Taskin Ahmad and Shoriful Islam kept it tight in the last game and that may be a great sign as the latter also took two wickets. The bowling lineup like the batting isn’t terrible but as a team Bangladesh flounders in key moments. The fielding has been poor and has also been a reason for the losses. Can the team salvage some pride against the Saffas who have looked better in the field?

Super 12s peak performers for Bangladesh are given below:

• Highest wicket-takers: Nasum Ahmed & Shoriful Islam: 3, Mehedi Hasan & Mustafizur Rahman: 2 wickets;
• Highest run scorers: Mushfiqur Rahim: 94, Mohammad Naim: 84, Liton Das: 69, Mahmudullah: 60;
• Most catches (not by a wicketkeeper): Soumya Sarkar & Mohammad Naim: 2.

Pitch: The Abu Dhabi pitch has offered help for both seamers and spinners. Scores can get as high as 160 and have been as low as 98-110. It depends upon the quality of batting and six-hitting doesn’t look easy with big boundaries. Seamers like Anrich Nortje can enjoy a bit of movement while Taskin and Shoriful can extract some purchase too. It is also dependent upon if a grassy or brownish tinge will be laid on the day. Overall, batting hasn’t been that easy on the wicket and you can expect a tough time for batters. South Africa and Bangladesh both have a bunch of batters who rely more upon fours than sixes so that is something to be kept in mind.

Head-to-head: Bangladesh has never beaten the Saffas in T20Is. However, the teams last played in the 2017/18 season and have had different squads since then. 

Here are some key notes for the game:

• Pretorius has taken three wickets in the last two games, using his slower deliveries and wide yorkers. He bowls late in the game and with batters looking to hit, he gets wickets;
• Anrich Nortje has been both a striking and economical bowler and has 1.67 wickets per game;
• Temba Bavuma has gotten run out once and has also ran out his partner once;
• Shakib Al Hasan will not play in the game;
• Tabraiz Shamsi and David Miller are questionable for the game;
• Reeza Hendricks has scored 50 runs in the last two games;
• Soumya Sarkar bagged 37 Performance Points in the last game with 17 runs and 2 catches;
• Shamsi grabbed 90 Performance Points in the last game;
• South Africa has lost 7 wickets to spin in the last three games and have scored slowly against the spinners too.

• Player Performance: K Rabada: Over 20.5 for 1.83;
• Liton Das Total Runs Under (19.5) for 1.832;
• Rassie van der Dussen Total Runs Over- 20 Overs(21.5) for 1.83.