South Africa do not want to follow on the footsteps of Pakistan and India, which suffered defeats at the hands of the Bangladesh in the ODI series recently.
The Tigers put up an emphatic performance against the neighbouring South Asian sides, but South Africa might prove to be a tough nut to crack despite two of their premier players, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn absent from the team squad.
Hence, in their absence, other players in the team including Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel need to take their game to the next level as they prepare for the first ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Bangladesh, to a certain extent, are going to depend on the services of their aggressive openers, Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar, who have been instrumental in their previous series victories over India and Pakistan.
Iqbal is one of the most dangerous batsmen for Bangladesh as he scored two back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan. A similar performance from the player is what his captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, will expect.
Sarkar also scored a century against Pakistan, but failed to convert his starts against India, something that he needs to improve against the Proteas.
Apart from the above-mentioned players, Bangladesh have received a shot in the arm with the return of all-rounder Mahmudullah, who was Bangladesh's hero in the ICC World Cup 2015. His inclusion will strengthen Bangladesh's batting line up as well.
Not only their batsmen, but also players such as Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Nasir Hossain amongst others can play an important role with the ball in their hands.
South Africa, on the other hand, will be eager to continue their winning ways in Bangladesh after defeating the hosts in both the T20 matches. Players such as David Miller, Kyle Abott and Faf du Plessis looked decent in the T20 series, but they are aware of Bangladesh and their ODI performances of late.
Their biggest test in the ODI series will be the way they deal with the Bangladeshi spinners in the middle overs of the game. It is at this juncture, where du Plessis and Duminy will prove to be crucial for South Africa, who might be seriously tested by Bangladesh during the ODI series.
Where to Watch Live
Bangladesh vs South Africa first ODI is scheduled for 3pm local time (2:30pm IST, 5am ET, 10am BST) with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 3/HD and Star Sports 4HD with live streaming on starsports.com.
Gazi TV will provide live TV coverage in Bangladesh.
South African viewers can watch the action live on Super Sport with the online option here.
Pakistan viewers can watch the game live on Ten Sports.
