World Cup 2019, Match 5, South Africa vs Bangladesh: Why Bangladesh will win the match
Bangladesh will play their first match of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on 2nd June against the mighty South African side. This will be the 2nd game for the Proteas in this World Cup after they lost their first match by a huge margin of 104 runs against the host nation, England. The main reason behind this loss could be the absence of Dale Steyn in the South African line-up.
Bangladesh would hope to kick start the tournament with a win which might not be an impossible task for them. The 15-member squad of Bangladesh features some of their greatest players like Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman and Mushfiqur Rahim.
The game will be played in London which could also be a decisive factor in this battle. England and South Africa played the first match of WC 2019 at this venue, which was a high-scoring one as the pitch favoured the batsmen.
Bangladesh has to play as a unit if they want to win this encounter and get off to a winning start. The side has got the likes of Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza who might prove to be the X-factor of this match. The pacers have always been troublemakers in the English conditions thanks to the swing they generate.
The South African side will find it difficult to tackle the Bangladeshi batsmen, especially on a batting wicket. The Bangladeshi side has the upper hand heading into this contest because they will be able to pick their first-choice playing.
With the Proteas side down on momentum after a defeat in the opening encounter, Bangladesh will look to capitalize on the situation and hand them their second straight loss. The only thing they need to do is play like one unit.