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After a minor setback, South Africa is back on the highway with full momentum, aiming to shift into a higher gear. However, they face a Bangladesh team looking to recover from recent defeats and prove they are not an easy target, hoping South Africa might underestimate them, much like what happened in Dharamsala.
But judging by the dominating performance South Africa delivered against the defending champions, Bangladesh's hopes may be more like "Ellis Boyd Redding" from The Shawshank Redemption than "Andy Dufresne." South Africa's confidence is soaring after a convincing 229-run victory over England. They currently hold the highest net run rate among all the teams in this World Cup and a win against Bangladesh could propel them to the second spot in the standings. Playing at the high-scoring Wankhede Stadium, where they are accustomed to the conditions, adds to their advantage, ensuring that the Proteas' momentum remains strong.
Bangladesh, in contrast, finds themselves in the lower half of the points table and urgently needs to string together some wins to keep their tournament hopes alive. Their batting performance has been disappointing, characterized by frequent collapses and an inability to capitalize on solid starts. Despite a promising 93 for 0 start against India, they stumbled to 201 for 6. Although this was an improvement from their earlier collapses, they have yet to deliver a consistent batting performance.
South Africa's batters, on the other hand, have been in outstanding form, contributing effectively throughout the lineup. It's no surprise that they have posted the two highest totals in this World Cup, achieved the two fastest centuries, and recorded five centuries from their players, the most by any team in the competition. The fact that Reeza Hendricks, who initially sat on the bench, made a significant impact when given the opportunity due to Temba Bavuma's illness, illustrates the strength of South Africa's batting lineup. With their bowlers also performing well, ranking third for most wickets taken in the 2023 World Cup, Bangladesh faces a challenging task to turn the tables in their favor on Tuesday.
When: October 24, 2023, 2:00 PM IST
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Teams
South Africa:
Bavuma, who missed the England game on Saturday due to an upset stomach, is expected to make a return, potentially displacing Hendricks. Hendricks stepped in just minutes before the toss and delivered an impressive performance, scoring 85 off 75 and forming a crucial 121-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen. This decision may seem unfair to many, especially when considering that Bavuma has only managed 59 runs in three innings with a highest score of 35, and he is the only top-five batsman who hasn't scored a century in this World Cup. However, Bavuma, being the appointed captain and South Africa's leading run-scorer in ODIs leading up to the tournament, remains a pivotal figure in the team's batting stability.
In terms of tactics and strategy, South Africa's approach remains consistent: excel with the bat and make do with the ball. It's not that their bowling attack is weaker than usual, but their batting has been exceptionally strong and has been the driving force behind their success in the tournament. South Africa has won all three matches in which they batted first, posting impressive totals of 428/5 against Sri Lanka in Delhi, 311/7 against Australia in Lucknow, and 399/7 against England in Mumbai. They lost the only match in which they chased a target, which was against the Netherlands in Dharamsala, where they were dismissed for 207 while pursuing a very achievable 246.
Bangladesh:
Taskin Ahmed will remain sidelined due to a shoulder injury, but Bangladesh is hopeful for Shakib Al Hasan's return to full fitness after he missed the game against India. Shakib, who suffered a left quad injury during the New Zealand match, has shown significant improvement. However, the final decision on his participation will depend on a running session and his performance during net practice. There's also a possibility that Tanzim Sakib may get an opportunity, especially given his dedicated practice in honing his batting skills alongside his primary role as a pace bowler. In this context, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud might make way, although Bangladesh is still debating whether to stick with three pacers or go with two.
In terms of tactics and strategy, Quinton de Kock has faced a couple of low scores after initially starting with two centuries. Bangladesh hopes to capitalize on this by relying on the trio of Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib, and Mehidy, each of whom has dismissed the wicketkeeper-batter twice. Additionally, the left-arm seamer has effectively kept de Kock quiet, allowing only 22 runs off 36 balls. Shakib is also a valuable option against Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram, who have relatively low strike rates of 55.8 and 75, respectively, when facing the left-arm spinner. On the other hand, Litton Das should be cautious of Kagiso Rabada's success against him, having conceded 48 runs while dismissing Das four times in 73 deliveries.
Squads:
South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Temba Bavuma, Lizaad Williams
Bangladesh Squad: Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan
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