As the ICC Cricket World Cup unfolds, Bangladesh’s captain, Shakib Al Hasan, is looking to steer his team to victory as they face South Africa in a crucial match. Despite facing a three-match losing streak, Shakib believes that South Africa, while formidable, is not impregnable and can be restricted to smaller totals, much like the Netherlands did in a recent match.
South Africa has been a batting powerhouse in this World Cup, amassing huge totals in their recent matches. They posted a monumental 428 for five against Sri Lanka in New Delhi and scored 399 for seven against England. Despite their high-scoring matches, South Africa stumbled in a chase against the Netherlands when they were bowled out for 207, chasing 246 in a rain-truncated game.
Shakib expressed his thoughts ahead of Bangladesh’s training session at the Wankhede Stadium, stating, “The spinners will not play a big role in this venue, which is relatively a smaller ground. It is a high-scoring ground. Still, we are planning to restrict them to a lower total.” He also mentioned that they have been studying South Africa’s weaknesses over the past year.
“We have to take it one game at a time. It does not matter if you win or lose your last game in a World Cup. What matters is who is performing better on the day,” emphasized the Bangladesh captain.
While Bangladesh has had its share of struggles in the tournament, they are still placed in the middle of the points table, holding the fifth spot. Shakib believes that with strong performances and favorable outcomes in upcoming matches, Bangladesh can keep their hopes alive of progressing past the league stage.
“We have five matches in hand, and if we win the match tomorrow, we will get into great momentum. Though we did not win many games, we are not in a bad position in the points table. Other teams are helping us, so now we have to help ourselves,” Shakib stated.
Regarding the fitness of the players in the challenging October heat of Mumbai, Shakib acknowledged the difficulty faced by England and South Africa in their recent matches. While Bangladesh is accustomed to hot weather, Shakib pointed out that the humidity would make it tough.
“We want to rest and hydrate, take care of ourselves. We saw England and South Africa suffer in the weather. We are used to hot weather, but it will not be easy for us,” he said.
Bangladesh’s struggle to put up big scores in the tournament has been evident, with their highest total so far being 256 for eight against India. Shakib expressed his hope for a change in this trend against South Africa, saying, “We are not getting big runs. We are hopeful of scoring big. Please pray that we get big runs.”
As the teams gear up for the World Cup clash, fans eagerly await what promises to be an exciting and high-scoring match between Bangladesh and South Africa.