The will match start at 8.30 PM (Bangladesh Time).
The Tigers kicked off the event with winning note, edging past Sri Lanka by two wickets in a thrilling contest. When their batting was still a concern, the two points that they earned gave them the immense confidence ahead of facing off South Africa.
Bangladesh had never beaten South Africa in T20 format despite playing eight matches but this time they oozed with confidence to break the jinx.
South Africa won their match against Sri Lanka and Netherlands but struggled a lot in slow pitch. The pitch in New York had already gauged a huge criticism, forcing ICC to improve its standard. However if the pitch remains slow, no doubt, it will play to Bangladesh's strength.
Both teams will have their task cut out as they will have to navigate the unpredictable surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
While South Africa may have a slight edge having played its previous two games here, Bangladesh is somewhat familiar with the conditions having faced India in its warm-up fixture at this venue.
"New York will host India vs Pakistan match ahead of our match against South Africa. So we'll get some idea about the pitch," Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.
"But whatever it is, I believe if we can play to our strength we can beat any team in the world."
Shanto's confidence basically stemmed from the performance of the bowlers, who consistently put a good show even though most of the time their effort was undermined by the fragile batting line up.
"Our bowlers have been in top form for sometimes now. They can give any batting line up of the world a nightmare. I hope they will continue to what they have been doing over the years."
"As far as batting is concerned, I am not worried that much. You can't expect all batters to fire simultaneously. But it is true there is room to work. We have been working hard to fix our batting problems."
Thanks to bowlers performance, Bangladesh restricted Sri Lanka for just 124-9 in the first game but they had to toil hard to overhaul the target. Towhid Hridoy, the most inform batter of the side played an impactful 20 ball-40, which eventually was key in their two-wicket victory.
Liton Das played a 36 ball-34 runs which not looked so handsome but considering the match scenario, his slow knock was equally important. Later Mahmdullah's experience won the game for the Bangladesh.
"I think Sri Lanka bowled really well, but on a wicket like this we should have won this easily. Very important for Litton, he's been struggling a bit but he showed his skill today. I think he batted really well. Hridoy was really courageous, the way he played that over really helped us," Shanto said.
Bangladesh are unlikely to break the winning combination if everyone remains fit.
South Africa laboured to victory against the Netherlands on Saturday and its batters didn't look comfortable in the win against Sri Lanka either while chasing 103 and 77 respectively.
A win will put South Africa firmly in the driver's seat for a Super Eight spot.
History is also on South Africa's side as it hasn't once lost to Bangaldesh in T20Is and has beaten the Tigers in each of the last two editions of the World Cup.
Bangladesh began its campaign with a win over rivals Sri Lanka which will boost its morale.But like the Proteas, the Bangladesh batters will also have to do better. They had struggled in the warm-up game against India and also against Sri Lanka.
The top-order is prone to collapses and while Liton Das has done well, the others have to take more responsibility, especially in testing conditions.
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is not firing either with the ball or the bat, which is a cause for concern for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's pace attack lacks a genuine tearaway fast bowler who can rock the opposition at the top and they might struggle against a formidable South African line-up comprising several power hitters.
Tigers eye tough fight against South Africa today
FE Team | Published: June 10, 2024 00:07:25 | Updated: June 10, 2024 00:09:04
Tigers eye tough fight against South Africa today
Share if you like