South Africa eye first win against resolute Bangladesh today

LONDON – After being outplayed in all three departments by the hosts, England, in the tournament opener, South Africa will look to get the first points under their belt when they take on Bangladesh in the fifth match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 at The Oval on Sunday. South Africa had their moment of glory in the first over of the World Cup, as a brilliant tactical move by Faf du Plessis saw the return of the dangerous Johnny Bairstow for a first-ball duck. However, they could not maintain a firm hold on the game thereafter and succumbed to a 104-run defeat. While the bowlers did manage to execute their plans for most part of the innings, Du Plessis admitted that Dale Steyn's absence hurt them dearly. The Proteas will need significant contributions from their senior batsmen, to set it up against the promising Bangladesh unit. Bangladesh's 95-run loss in their second warm-up match against India, gave them a reality check and significant positives in the same brief. While their new ball bowlers exploited the conditions to good effect, troubling the Indian top order, lack of wickets in the middle overs saw the game drift away from their hands. Mushfiqur Rahim's form with the bat comes in as a great positive, as the wicket-keeper batsman is the mainstay of their middle order. Bangladesh had defeated a strong Proteas side in the super-eights stage of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2007 by a convincing margin of 67 runs but only four players from the current lot were a part of that XI. Key Players Hashim Amla (South Africa): After being undone by a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer, Amla's return to the crease in the 32nd over of the innings, came in as a huge relief for South Africa. The right-hander indicated his return to form with sublime half centuries in both warm-up matches and would be keen to better those performances. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): Ranked as the No. 1 all-rounder in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI rankings, Shakib has always risen up on big occasions for Bangladesh. Apart from his batting skills, the all-rounder's left-arm spin will be crucial considering the number of right-handers in South Africa's top-order. Conditions Well-scattered showers are expected during the afternoon. The overcast and windy conditions might just assist seamers early on and the toss might well play a crucial role in the game's outcome. Squads South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Abu Jayed, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal. –ICC