Bangladesh will be locking horns with South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series at Sher-e-Bangla International Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Friday. They are coming into this ODI series after a defeat in the two-match T20 series against the Proteas.
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will be wary of the fact that his big guns have not lived up to expectations and that has hurt them in the recently concluded T20 series.
Shakib al-Hasan and Musfiqur Rahim have not had much of an impact in two T20 games giving their skipper a reason to worry. But it seems that the Bangladesh skipper is confident about the player and has backed him. Mortaza feels that he will come good against South Africa in the ODI series both with the bat and ball.
"If you look at his record, Shakib is one of the best bowlers in the world. Imran Tahir and their other spinners are doing well, and will be confident following the T20 series but I still expect our spinners to be a step above their spinners," Mortaza said in an interview to Espn Cricinfo ahead of the 1st ODI against the Proteas.
Bangladesh have not lost a single ODI series at home since February 2014 and Mortaza is aware of that record. He felt that they will have to play their best cricket to upset the Proteas just like they outplayed India.
"We have to play well by adjusting to the wicket. We have to be a step ahead of South Africa in every department. This is how you win against such a team. We had gone into a habit of winning matches since the World Cup. Everyone wants to win and this is our job.
"But by focusing on the results too much, we forget the process with which we got the wins. We should go back to the basics, and to the mentality through which we turned things around since the World Cup," Mortaza added.
