🏏 Cricket World Cup 2023: Match #23: Bangladesh vs South Africa 🏏

After a minor blip, the fast and furious South Africa are back on the highway in full steam and will be looking to power their mean engine into the next gear.

But Bangladesh is a spirited team buzzing with immense talent. In this World Cup, we are witnessing many mighty teams' poor performances so far on a given day.

🏏 Cricket World Cup 2023: Match #23: Bangladesh vs South Africa 🏏

Bavuma-led Proteas team is flying high with confidence coming into this match, as they defeated defending champion England in their previous fixture by 229 runs.

Till now, the Proteas have played four matches, of which they have won three and lost one, while Bangladesh have won their first match and lost the next three.

South Africa have scored 300-plus every time they have batted first in this World Cup, with Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen providing a devastating example at the Wankhede.

South Africa are flying high after the 229-run thrashing they handed England. They have the highest net-run rate among all 10 teams in this World Cup, and a victory against Bangladesh will propel them to the second spot. Playing another game at the high-scoring Wankhede, where they have familiarized themselves despite all the heat and humidity, is an added advantage to make the Protea Fire continue to burn bright.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, are in the bottom half of the points table and are in dire need of stringing together some victories so that their journey doesn't come to an early end. Their batting has been the main letdown, especially their tendency to suffer collapses and not capitalise on solid platforms. They were 93 for 0 against India before slipping to 201 for 6. Although their start against India was a remarkable improvement from the 56/4 against New Zealand and the 49/4 against England, they still haven't been able to come up with a collective batting display.

The South African batters, on the other hand, have been in roaring form, with telling contributions all through the batting order. Hence, it is no surprise that they have posted the two highest totals in this World Cup, have the two fastest centuries, and have as many as five three-figure scores from their batters, the most from any team so far in this competition.

That Reeza Hendricks, having warmed the bench in the first three matches, jumped at the opportunity arising from Temba Bavuma's illness goes to show how well tuned the South African batting engine room is. And with the bowlers too not making things any easier for the opposition—

South Africa currently ranks third for most wickets taken by teams in the 2023 World Cup—Bangladesh needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat today.

Tag Credit: Sutapasima

Head-to-Head:

In 24 ODI played, South Africa won 18 matches while Bangladesh won 6 matches.

Players to watch out for:

South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen

Bangladesh: Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz

What to expect: Plenty of runs, with the pitch expected to aid the batters as it has so often done, and plenty of heat too with a maximum of 37 degree Celsius being forecast for the afternoon.

Probable XIs:

South Africa (SA): Quinton de Kock (WK), Temba Bavuma (C), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee

Bangladesh (BAN): Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto , Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib al Hasan (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam

Pitch Report:

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium pitch has been known to be a batting-friendly track. The team winning the toss should bat first.

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is a balanced pitch. The average 1st innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 252 runs. The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is a sporting one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. The team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl depending on the ground conditions today.

Pace or Spin?

Pacers have been very successful at this venue. They have taken 83% of the total wickets at this venue. We would suggest that you pick as many pace bowlers as possible in your team. Based on the stats available, We predict that the pitch will continue to assist the pacers.

Weather Report:

There is no probability of rain. there is no indication of adverse weather conditions for the match day. It will be a warm day with humidity prevailing throughout the match.

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is a balanced pitch. The average 1st innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 252 runs. The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is a sporting one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers on offer. The team winning the toss may decide to bat or bowl depending on the ground conditions today.

Temperature will hover around 31.47 °C and humidity is expected to be around 52%. 1.3 m/s winds are expected.

SA vs BAN, Head to Head

In the 24 matches played between these 2 teams, Bangladesh do not have a good record against South Africa. Based on our analysis and trends, We predict the trend to continue. Bangladesh All Rounders have earned the most fantasy points for their team, while Batters have earned the most fantasy points for South Africa.

Batters to watch--

1. Quinton de Kock

   Quinton de Kock is a Wicket-Keeper and has an average of 83 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.2 and is a safe bet for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. He is a top order opening Left Handed Batter and also keeps wickets. In the last 5 matches this player has scored 4, 20, 109, 100, 84 runs averaging 63.4 per match.

2. Najmul Hossain Shanto

   Najmul Hossain Shanto is fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. Najmul Hossain Shanto has an average of 32 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.8. He is a top order Left Handed Batter. In the recently played 5 matches this player has scored 76 runs at an average of 15.2 per match.

3. Heinrich Klaasen

   Heinrich Klaasen is a Wicket-Keeper and has an average of 68 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.5 and is a punt player for your Fantasy Team. Heinrich Klaasen is a batter, bats Right Handed and also keeps wickets. In the recent 5 matches he has scored 198 runs averaging 39.6 per match.

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

So, today we will see a sea of Green on the ground.

Cheers..

Top Bowler Picks

1. Kagiso Rabada

   Kagiso Rabada is a Bowler and has an average of 62 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.7 and is a safe bet for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. This player bowls right-arm fast and in the last 3 matches Kagiso Rabada has taken 6 wickets at an average of 1.2. He has had a good time at this venue in the recent 3 matches this player played here and has taken 1, 4 wickets.

2. Gerald William Coetzee

   Gerald Coetzee is a good to have player for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. Gerald Coetzee has an average of 66 match fantasy points in the last 9 games and a fantasy rating of 7.5. He is a right-arm fast Bowler and in the recently played 3 matches this player has taken 7 wickets at an average of 1.4.

3. Nasum Ahmed

   Nasum Ahmed is a Bowler and has an average of 47 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 7.3 and is a very consistent player in terms of fantasy points. Nasum Ahmed is a slow left-arm orthodox Bowler and in the last 3 matches he has taken 0, 0, 0, 1, 1 wickets at an average of 0.4.

4. All rounders----

   
   

   1. Mehidy Hasan Miraz

      Mehidy Hasan is a good to have player for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. This player has an average of 79 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.6. Mehidy Hasan is a top order Right Handed Batter. In the recently played 3 matches he has scored 3, 0, 30, 0, 0 runs averaging 6.6 per match.

   2. Aiden Kyle Markram

      Aiden Markram is an All Rounder and has an average of 63 match fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.2 and is fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. This player is a top order batter, bats Right Handed. In the last 5 matches Aiden Markram has scored 42, 1, 56, 106, 0 runs at an average of 41 per match.

   3. Marco Jansen

      Marco Jansen is a good to have player for your Dream11 Fantasy Team. He has an average of 90 match fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.8. This player bowls left-arm medium fast and in the recent 3 matches Marco Jansen has taken 4 wickets at an average of 0.8.

Team news:

South Africa

Bavuma, who missed the game against England on Saturday with an upset stomach, is likely to return at the expense of Hendricks, who replaced him minutes before the toss and scored a scintillating 85 off 75 alongside sharing 121 off 116 with Rassie van der Dussen. Hendricks' probable fate will smack of unfairness for many, especially considering Bavuma has managed 59 runs in three innings with a best effort of 35 and is the only member of the top five who is yet to score a century at this World Cup. But Bavuma is the appointed captain and was South Africa's leading run-scorer in ODIs this year leading into the tournament, remains key to the batting line-up's stability.

Tactics & strategy

Same old same old: blow them away with the bat, make do with the ball. It's not that their attack is weaker than usual but the batting is exceptionally strong. And has set the tone for the team's success so far. South Africa have won all three matches in which they have batted first - totalling 428/5 against Sri Lanka in Delhi, 311/7 against Australia in Lucknow, and 399/7 against England in Mumbai - and lost the only game in which they chased. That was against the Netherlands, no less, in Dharamsala, where they were dismissed for 207 in search of an eminently gettable 246.

Bangladesh

A shoulder injury will keep Taskin Ahmed on the sidelines for a while longer. Bangladesh though are hoping that Shakib Al Hasan, who also missed the game against India, returns to full fitness. There has been considerable improvement with Shakib, who suffered a left quad injury in the match against New Zealand. But a final call will be taken after a running session and seeing how he bowls in the nets. There is also the likelihood of Tanzim Sakib getting a look in, considering he spent a lot of time in practice honing his batting skills apart from his primary role as a pace bowler. In this scenario, Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud could make way, although Bangladesh are split between having three pacers or two.

Tactics & strategy

De Kock has had a couple of low scores after starting off with two centuries. Bangladesh will be hoping to take advantage of that through the trio of Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib and Mehidy, who have all dismissed the wicketkeeper-batter twice each. On top of that, the left-arm seamer has also kept him rather quiet (22 runs in 36 balls). Shakib is also a good option against Bavuma and Aiden Markram, who have strike rates of 55.8 and 75 respectively against the left-arm spinner. Meanwhile, Litton Das will be wary of the success Kagiso Rabada has had against him (48 runs in 73 deliveries with four dismissals).

What they said?

"I enjoy scoring runs more than taking wickets; there's not so much running involved. I just love batting. Whenever I bat, it gives me more joy. Bowling is more hard work. It's nicer seeing a ball fly 80 metres off your own bat than your bowling." - Marco Jansen is growing into his role as South Africa's allrounder.

Did you know?

- This will be South Africa's first ODI clash against Bangladesh in Asia since 2015, when they lost a three-match series 1-2. The two teams have a 2-2 head to head record in the World Cup, with Bangladesh winning in 2019.

- The Wankhede has been a favourite hunting ground for South Africa, who posted 438 against India back in 2015 before posting the highest total by any team in an ODI against England a few days back.

- This will be Bangladesh's first match at the Wankhede Stadium since 1998 and also only their second game at this venue.