South Africa won the ODI series 3-0 in January with Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul and Shekhar Dhawan as spectators. In batting, De Kock and Temba Bavumara were outstanding. Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabadara was great with the ball in hand.
This time the opponent is Bangladesh in front of Proteas. Those who never lost to the hosts on their soil. This series is supposed to be a relief for South Africa due to their current performance and Bangladesh’s record! But team captain Temba Bavuma said they were not taking Bangladesh lightly at all. On the contrary, there is a fear that Bangladesh may attack them.
On Thursday (March 18), at the pre-match press conference, Babuma opened the conversation. Where he has a lot of respect for Bangladesh.
“We do not think Bangladesh is weak in any way. Maybe, they are not a big team like India but that is why we cannot suffer in complacency. For us, they are just like any other team. We know they have match winners in their team. We know there are guys in our team who can do their job on certain days. So we will not compromise on preparation and expectations. And we will give them the respect they deserve. ”
“It’s not a relief series at all. This is a very important series for us. Equally important for Bangladesh. We can talk about ourselves. Like how we want to do. We have a chance to win this three-match series. ”
‘Bangladesh will definitely give us a tough challenge like India. We also have to face that challenge. Needless to say, Bangladesh will come down with a fearless mentality and challenge us. They have good bowlers in their team who are capable of bowling. We want to use fast bounce wickets. As well as good batsmen who have proved themselves quite well, have competed. Hopefully there will be a better series. We have left the series against India behind. From there we can only take confidence. I can use that. ‘- said Bavuma.
Bangladesh is at the top of the ICC ODI Super League with 100 points. The Proteas are in the top ten with 39 points. However, they have played five matches less than Bangladesh. Being at the top, Babuma has to think extra about Bangladesh. Besides, having tested cricketers like Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur, he thinks that Bangladesh will come on the field to win.
‘The players you are talking about (Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal) are very experienced. They have played in South Africa before. Thinking from a mental point of view, they will definitely want to win here. They (Bangladesh) are at the top of the ICC ODI Super League, so we will respect them, ”added Babuma.