5 reasons why Bangladesh can compete better in the T20I series against South Africa
Bangladesh have been an improved side in the past few years. They are no longer pushovers, beating Sri Lanka in a test match recently. Not to forget their famous win against England in the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2015 at Adelaide which helped them reach the quarter finals.
They have been bullies at home, beating top notch sides likes South Africa, England convincingly. So when they toured South Africa it was expected that they would compete against the hosts.
A combination of poor captaincy decisions, quality of the opposition and lack of exposure for the Bangladesh players in these conditions have led to Bangladesh looking really weak. South Africa have trounced them in the test series and ODI series.
They lost the tests by a margin of 333 runs and an innings and 254 runs. The margin of defeat didn’t improve in ODIs, where they were outclassed completely by the hosts.
Amidst the gloom there were certain positives which the Bangla tigers can carry forward into the T20I series which could make the series more competitive:
A new leader
Bangladesh will have a seasoned T20 player to lead their T20I team in the form of Shakib- Al-Hasan. This surely would boost the sagging morale of the team. Shakib is among the best all-rounders in world cricket currently.
His experience in leagues - the IPL, BPL and CPL would hold him in good stead when he leads the Bangla Tigers. It is this experience coupled with his batting and bowling skills which make him a big asset for Bangladesh to have playing against the Proteas.
And as a leader, he should bring in his fresh set of idea and strategies. It would be a tough task to motivate this team as primarily barring few key players who are injured the T20I squad features players who have played in the ODI series.
Rather than lamenting on the performances in the ODI series, this team under Shakib should start afresh and look to put their best foot forward. And T20 cricket is very unpredictable, few good performances and this Bangladesh team can go to beat the hosts, and not only compete better.