Johannesburg, March 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Having won their first One-day International against South Africa, Bangladesh will look to seal the series by dominating the hosts in the second ODI at The Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Bangladesh registered a historic win in the first ODI by defeating South Africa by 38 runs and consolidating their position in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League table.
But with the series on the line, the hosts are expected to come back strongly in the second ODI and keep their chances alive. South Africa have no option but to go all out to not only salvage the series but also assuage their pride.
It was an all-round performance by Bangladesh in the first ODI as they posted a formidable total on the board, thanks to quality batting from the top order, followed by solid knocks from Shakib Al Hasan and Yasir Ali in the middle overs, and a sprinkle of power hitting towards the end, said a report on the ICC's official website.
Defending the score their bowlers were up to the task, they picked up wickets at the start and straightaway put pressure on South Africa. Shoriful Islam and Taskin Ahmed impressed with their bowling performances as they dismissed South Africa's top four early.
While Bangladesh will hope to repeat the performance in the second ODI, the hosts will have to sit back and work on plenty of areas.
Despite the presence of regular fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi in the side, the Proteas' bowling department was unable to take advantage of home conditions. After some disciplined bowling at the start, they leaked runs and were unable to pick wickets at the right time, allowing Bangladesh's batters to pile up runs.
South Africa's batters struggled too. They got off to a poor start but stabilising knocks from Rassie Van der Dussen (86) and David Miller (79) absorbed the pressure in the middle overs. However, after their departure, the hosts struggled to keep up the scoring rate.
With series on the line and crucial CWCSL points up for grabs, South Africa will need to regroup and reassess their strategy for the next game.
"We obviously have to bounce back, Sunday is just around the corner. We need to show the resilience we are known for," said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma after the first match.
"When you are chasing over 300, you need one batter to get a 100 and a couple of others to support them. After my dismissal, we failed to get much momentum apart from the Miller-Rassie partnership and losing Rassie made life very difficult for us. Their bowlers exploited the back of a length spot better," Bavuma said.
In the first match, South Africa asked Bangladesh to bat after winning the toss. A brilliant opening partnership of 95 runs from the Bangladeshi openers Liton (50) and Tamim (41) helped the visitors to a good start, followed by a brilliant 77 from Shakib Al Hasan and a maiden fifty for Yasir Ali (50), Bangladesh put up a huge score of 314/7 in 50 overs.
Bangladesh pacers took some early wickets reducing South Africa to 36/3 within the first ten overs. Middle-order batters Van der Dussen and captain Bavuma steadied the ship but not for long as he was dismissed on 31. Dussen continued to build up his innings and scored a brilliant 86 before returning to the pavilion. South Africa were bowled out for 276 in 48.5 overs, despite David Miller playing a lone hand of 79 runs off 57 deliveries.
Bangladesh will have to bat and bowl at the same tempo if they have to win their first series in South Africa.
Source: IANS
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