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SYDNEY. — Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan has deflected attention, and some of the pressure, towards South Africa, their opponents today at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
South Africa had to contend with just one point in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 stage after rain halted their chase against Zimbabwe in Hobart on Monday.
Although T20 is a volatile format, recent form and results tell you that South Africa are competing against Pakistan for the second semi-final spot from Group 2, with India favourites to take the other one.
Shakib, therefore, didn’t miss the opportunity to remind his opponents what is at stake for them. He also said that Bangladesh’s ODI series win against South Africa earlier this year will give them confidence ahead of the game.
“It is a very important match for both sides but for South Africa, who would have expected two points from their first game, this is a do-or-die match,” Shakib said.
“They will be under some pressure. We have a win under our belt, and now we will be playing at a ground that normally aids the spinners. The ICC usually tries to produce true wickets in the World Cup so that everyone gets help.
“They have a number of world-class players in their side, but we will try to the best of our ability. We have some good memories against them recently, albeit in another format. It will certainly help us mentally. We want to be clear-minded and enjoy the game. We are hopeful of a big crowd since Sydney has a huge Bangladeshi population.”
But according to South Africa seamer Lungi Ngidi, both sides will be equally under pressure. He also said that South Africa would look to attack Bangladesh with their seamers.
“Think everyone is under pressure in this tournament if you are looking to win,” Ngidi said.
“Their claim that we will be hungry to win, that’s definitely true. Obviously, we would have loved a win in the first game and we know now what pressure we have in terms of going forward in the tournament. But to say we are under pressure, I would say it’s pretty equal if you are looking to win the World Cup.
“At the moment we are just playing to our strengths. From the games we’ve watched, we have seen that pace has been the most successful, so we are going with our strengths. We would like to attack the Bangladesh side with our strength and that is the pace. Depending on how they handle that, guess we’ll see tomorrow, but all in all we are running with what we are good at.”
Bangladesh didn’t fare that well against Netherlands in their nine-run win, with their fast bowlers bailing them out after yet another indifferent batting performance.
Shakib, however, said that Bangladesh have the personnel to produce another “heroic” effort against South Africa. — ESPNCricinfo
Online Reporter