Despite a scintillating victory over South Africa in the ODI series, Bangladesh are aware of the tough task ahead of them as they prepare to face the Proteas in the first Test match of the series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Tuesday.
Bangladesh's record against South Africa in Test matches is not good as they have lost their last previous eight outings against the Proteas. If they even manage to draw the Test match, it will be an achievement for the Bangladeshi players, who are a confident unit at home.
But things are going to be different for Bangladesh, given the stark contrast in rankings. South Africa lie on top of the ICC Test rankings, while Bangladesh are tottering at ninth position.
South Africa will be buoyant with the arrival of Dale Steyn, who is the number one bowler for South Africa. Their premier fast bowler is just four wickets short of reaching 400 Test wickets, which is bound to be a special feeling for the speedster, who has tormented batsmen for a number of years.
"Four hundred Test wickets is something that is extremely special especially because in probably every match he has played in, Dale has made some contribution," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Hashim Amla as saying.
"During this series, there is no doubt that everybody else will really enjoy the success he gets. We know the amount of work he has put in and the impact he has had on this team."
Bangladeshi batsman including Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah will be key for their team as they cannot afford to lose early wickets against a strong South African bowling line-up.
Apart from these batsmen, Bangladesh bowlers will also play a crucial role in the Test match, primarily spinners such as Jubair Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan, who can both trouble the Proteas' batsmen.
South Africa are weak in playing quality spin and these bowlers would like to exploit it fully, notwithstanding the fact that South Africa have an experienced middle order.
Irrespective of the conditions and the record, the team, which plays better for five days, will stand a greater chance of winning the first Test.
Where to Watch Live
The first Test match of the series is set for 9:30 local time (9am IST, 4:30am BST, 11:30pm ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 1/HD with live streaming on starsports.com.
Viewers in South Africa can watch the action live on Super Sport2/HD and Bangladesh viewers can tune on to Gazi Tv.
Viewers in the US can watch the match live on Willow TV with live streaming option on Willow Tv Online.
