Focus shifts from Tests to ODIs as Tigers face Proteas

Focus has shifted to the ODIs from Test cricket as visiting Bangladesh will play their first game of the three-match series against host South Africa at De Beers Diamond Oval Sunday. Bangladesh have included four new players to their ODI squad as captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Shakib al Hasan, Nasir Hossain and Saifuddin are the new additions in the South Africa tour. So the return of key players like Mashrafe and Shakib and promising seamer-allrounder Saifuddin will certainly add strength to the Tigers squad. The Test series was a frustrating phase for Bangladesh as performance-wise, both batsmen and bowlers performed poorly and suffered heavy defeats. But Bangladesh have played well in the shorter formats in 2017 and will also expect a good ODI series against South Africa, although condition will be challenging. Good news for Bangladesh camp is that opener Tamim Iqbal is on his way to become fit for the first ODI. The left-hander missed the second and final Test match and the practice game at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein due to thigh injury.

.@Sah75official spoke yesterday at Kimberly ahead of the ODI series against @OfficialCSA pic.twitter.com/AKo755cmPh

— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) October 14, 2017

But according to a team source, there is a great chance that Tamim will play Sunday against the Proteas. Skipper Mashrafe however, informed that the team combination will depend on Tamim’s availability and that a decision will only be taken in the final hour before the match. “We are thinking about proper team combination for the first ODI. Actually it is mainly depending on Tamim’s fitness. He batted in the nets [Friday] and will bat [Saturday]. He will also do running. There is a good chance of Tamim becoming fit for the first game. Then we will decide on our playing XI,” said Mashrafe during practice in Kimberley. Bangladesh might go for seven batsmen, three pacers and an all-rounder for the first ODI. Saifuddin has a good chance of making his debut but the decision will be taken after judging the pitch in the final hour. Meanwhile, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is not taking Bangladesh lightly and termed them “dangerous” in white-ball cricket.

Final preparation underway in Kimberley. Tickets for tomorrow’s ODI are selling fast at https://t.co/1lqITTRjI4. See you there! #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/qPLAcSAAVo

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) October 14, 2017

“I think Bangladesh have proven in white-ball cricket that they can perform outside of their own country, just as recently as the (2017) Champions Trophy where they made the semi-finals. So, for us, obviously the Test match victory was nice and we dominated them, but we are expecting a completely different challenge in the one-dayers,” said Du Plessis during the pre-ODI press conference. Wind could be an important factor for both the teams as strong wind flows through the ground consistently during this time of the year. Weather forecasts suggest there will be strong winds Sunday as well, which could prove challenging for the batsmen at the middle. Twelve ODIs have been played at this ground. The average first innings total is 233 and the average second innings total is 207. But interestingly, among those 12 matches the team which batted second won nine times. So the toss-winning captain might field first. The match starts at 10am local time, 2pm Bangladesh standard time.Players to watchTamim IqbalThe left-hander will be the key for the Tigers at the top of the order. Tamim missed the second and final Test match due to thigh injury. But Tamim has become fit for the first ODI as he took part in full training Saturday. Bangladesh camp desperately need him at the top of the batting order as opening batsmen has not been able to give Bangladesh a good start in the tour so far. Tamim is in blistering form in 2017 however, scoring 623 runs in 10 innings with an average of 69.22 with two centuries and four fifties.Shakib al HasanShakib is another crucial member of the Bangladesh playing XI and could prove to be vital in the shorter formats against the host. The left-handed batsman, ranked No 1 in ICC all-rounders’ ranking, took rest during the South Africa Tests. And after taking a brief sabbatical, Shakib is back in the team, making 68 in the practice match at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein Thursday. Shakib has scored 333 runs in nine innings with an average of 37 but only took four wickets in those nine matches.AB de VilliersDe Villiers did not play in the Test series against the Tigers as he is currently out from Test reckoning ever since 2016. But the aggressive batsman will return against Bangladesh in the ODIs and T20Is. The fastest ODI centurion of world cricket (off 31 balls) is always a dangerous customer in any form of the game. The right-hander scored 43 off 50 balls in the warm-up game. He has totaled 3736 runs for South Africa with an average of 52.61 in 86 innings. With stunning ODI records to his credit, De Villiers will surely be one of the main threats for Bangladesh.Kagiso RabadaThe right-arm pacer is in red hot form in the year 2017. Rabada is the highest wicket-taker in Tests this year. But his ODI form is also impressive in 2017. He took 22 wickets in 15 innings. To add to that, Rabada also has a good record against the Tigers. He took eight wickets in three innings with an average of 12.75. The tall fast bowler also has a hat-trick to his name, and a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2015. Impressively, it was on his debut. Rabada will lead the pace attack as Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander are all absent due to injury. The right-arm paceman will try to continue his good form and pick up some early wickets against the Tigers batsmen, who are low on confidence in this tour.