Bangladesh announce squad for South Africa ODI series
What's the story?
Mashrafe Mortaza will captain the Bangladesh side for the three-match ODI series against South Africa that begins on October 15. The 15-man squad also includes Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and several regulars.
Tamim Iqbal, who was ruled out of the second Test with a thigh injury features in the squad, along with Liton Das, who last played an ODI in 2015. The other major surprise in the squad is the inclusion of 20-year-old Mohammad Saifuddin, who claimed his maiden ODI call-up.
Bangladesh Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Litton Kumar Das, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Saif Uddin
In case you didn't know...
The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 saw Bangladesh surprise everyone by reaching the semi-final, where they lost to India. The upcoming series against South Africa will be their first limited-overs assignment since the tournament in June. Since then, they drew the two-Test series against Australia at home and also beat them for the first time in a Test series.
The heart of the matter
The 333-run defeat in the first Test now means that the ongoing Test series against South Africa is out of reach but the visitors will be looking to win the second Test, level the series and gain some momentum heading into the three-match ODI series. They will come up against a South African side that has the likes of Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Kagiso Rabada and the returning AB de Villiers.
Under the leadership of Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh will be eager to create an upset or two and ruffle some feathers before the conclusion of their tour of South Africa.
What's next?
After losing the first Test, Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back in the second Test at Bloemfontein that begins on Friday (October 6). The three-match ODI series then begins on October 15, followed by two T20Is that begin on October 26.
Author's take
After an impressive performance in the 2017 Champions Trophy where they surprised quite a few teams, Bangladesh will be looking to continue their impressive form in the shorter formats. With a settled squad that includes several usual suspects, they will be looking to ensure that they give the hosts a tough fight. The Proteas know that a whitewash of Bangladesh will help them reclaim the No.1 ranking in ODIs and the visitors will be keen to ensure that that doesn't happen.