Tigers look to level T20 series against Proteas

Bangladesh will have to go all guns blazing to level the two-match Twenty20 International series as they take on mighty South Africa in the second match today at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The match begins at 1 pm. The hosts were crushed by 52 runs in the first T20 where Bangladesh was bowled out for 96, their lowest score ever in a T20 game at home. The batsmen failed to shine in pursuit of an achievable target of 149 despite a slowing wicket.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza blamed his batsmen for playing one shot too many despite witnessing how cautiously Faf Du Plessis batted on the tough pitch. The Bangladeshi batsmen went after the bowlers right from the word go and paid the price heavily.
"Bowlers bowled pretty well. We would have done well to restrict them to 130, but we couldn't build partnerships to mount pressure on South Africa,” Mashrafe told reporters after the first match.
“I think batters played too many shots, but we can fix it. It's not too much of a worry. The way they are batting, we'll be back in the next match,” he said.
The Bangladeshi team had a long discussion after the first match where they found they err much other than batting. “It’s the area that needs to be fixed,” opener Soumya Sarkar said ahead of the second match.
“We had a plan to score at least 40 to 50 runs in the first six overs without losing wickets. But, we lost two openers – me and Tamim – in the first two overs and that tilted the match towards them,” he said.
“Since the openers couldn’t give the side many runs, the batsmen that followed fell under the pressure to keep the scoreboard ticking, We eventually lost wickets at regular intervals,” Soumya said.
The team will stick to the same plan that was set for the first T20. “We’ve discussed that if we are able to successfully execute the plan, the result will be in our favour,” the opener observed. This second Twenty20 against South Africa will be Bangladesh’s 44th match in this format. The tigers have been victorious in only 12 matches, with three against top teams.
The visitors, however, will look to continue the domination by playing the same aggressive brand of cricket that they showed in the first Twenty20.
South Africa has proven that they had worked on the Bangladeshi players intensively after the hosts trounced sub-continent giant India and Pakistan.
“We need to be pretty aggressive and maintain it. You can’t consume the Bangladesh batsman without being aggressive,” said South African bowling coach Charles Langeveldt.
“We can surprise our opponent with our aggression. That’s why we played four fast bowlers. Yesterday it worked for us. Another day it may not work but we have to maintain our aggression. We need to adapt,” he added.
The South African coach further noted that it was a good thing that the bowling attack was good at adapting to conditions at the moment.

 

Tigers look to level T20 series against Proteas

Bangladesh will have to go all guns blazing to level the two-match Twenty20 International series as they take on mighty South Africa in the second match today at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The match begins at 1 pm. The hosts were crushed by 52 runs in the first T20 where Bangladesh was bowled out for 96, their lowest score ever in a T20 game at home. The batsmen failed to shine in pursuit of an achievable target of 149 despite a slowing wicket. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza blamed his batsmen for playing one shot too many despite witnessing how cautiously Faf Du Plessis batted on the tough pitch. The Bangladeshi batsmen went after the bowlers right from the word go and paid the price heavily. Bowlers bowled pretty well. We would have done well to restrict them to 130, but we couldnt build partnerships to mount pressure on South Africa, Mashrafe told reporters after the first match. I think batters played too many shots, but we can fix it. Its not too much of a worry. The way they are batting, well be back in the next match, he said. The Bangladeshi team had a long discussion after the first match where they found they err much other than batting. Its the area that needs to be fixed, opener Soumya Sarkar said ahead of the second match. We had a plan to score at least 40 to 50 runs in the first six overs without losing wickets. But, we lost two openers me and Tamim in the first two overs and that tilted the match towards them, he said. Since the openers couldnt give the side many runs, the batsmen that followed fell under the pressure to keep the scoreboard ticking, We eventually lost wickets at regular intervals, Soumya said. The team will stick to the same plan that was set for the first T20. Weve discussed that if we are able to successfully execute the plan, the result will be in our favour, the opener observed. This second Twenty20 against South Africa will be Bangladeshs 44th match in this format. The tigers have been victorious in only 12 matches, with three against top teams. The visitors, however, will look to continue the domination by playing the same aggressive brand of cricket that they showed in the first Twenty20. South Africa has proven that they had worked on the Bangladeshi players intensively after the hosts trounced sub-continent giant India and Pakistan. We need to be pretty aggressive and maintain it. You cant consume the Bangladesh batsman without being aggressive, said South African bowling coach Charles Langeveldt. We can surprise our opponent with our aggression. Thats why we played four fast bowlers. Yesterday it worked for us. Another day it may not work but we have to maintain our aggression. We need to adapt, he added. The South African coach further noted that it was a good thing that the bowling attack was good at adapting to conditions at the moment.