South Africa’s elimination from the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage would be virtually assured with a victory over Bangladesh.
The Proteas will use the experience of playing two matches when they play Bangladesh on Monday, despite having two very different experiences on the challenging pitch at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
If Aiden Markram’s team prevails, they will solidify their leadership in the so-called “group of death,” which also consists of Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.
However, Markram is cautious due to Bangladesh’s potential threat, particularly their potent all-around bowling assault.
The captain of South Africa told reporters on Sunday that playing a genuinely good Bangladeshi squad will be a great challenge for them.
Since the Proteas having played all of their games in New York, they have an advantage against Bangladesh, who last visited the stadium on June 1 for a warm-up match against India. Markram said that the Proteas will be able to plan more effectively since they have a better understanding of the local conditions.
“If we bat first, we can plan how to get to a score of maybe 140, and hopefully our bowlers can do the rest.”
Bangladesh’s first encounter against Sri Lanka in Dallas was well received, and Markram anticipates that in New York as well. However, he clarified that his team will concentrate on the action occurring inside the boundary ropes rather than outside of them.
“I believe there are a good number of South Africans residing here; therefore, it has been really cool to see them support us in large numbers.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said his team was “relieved” to have got over the line against Sri Lanka in their first match, but he expects them to perform better in their remaining three group games.
SOURCE-Aljazeera
