South Africa lost their opening game at this very venue and will look to get the first win under their belt when they meet Bangladesh, who will be opening their World Cup campaign. The Proteas were humiliated in the opening salvo against England, but they have enough firepower to script a turnaround. Players like Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock are vastly experienced with the bat, while South Africa has two of the best bowlers in Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir, who are not only wicket-takers but bowl economically as well. With some extra bounce in the pitch, bowlers will need to take the pace off the bowl, though there will be a little turn for the spinners here.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, have a few injury concerns going into the game. Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahmudullah and Mustafizur Rahman are all recovering from their respective injuries, and if if one fails to recuperate, it will be a massive blow to the side. Bangladesh are not among the contenders for the Cup, but they have caused a few upsets in the past and will be eager to do just that on Sunday.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Quinton de Kock (10 credits)
Quinton de Kock is one of the most aggressive batsmen in the world at the moment, and if he gets going, there is no stopping him. He was in good form in the IPL, and carried it
South Africa lost their opening game at this very venue and will look to get the first win under their belt when they meet Bangladesh, who will be opening their World Cup campaign. The Proteas were humiliated in the opening salvo against England, but they have enough firepower to script a turnaround. Players like Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock are vastly experienced with the bat, while South Africa has two of the best bowlers in Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir, who are not only wicket-takers but bowl economically as well. With some extra bounce in the pitch, bowlers will need to take the pace off the bowl, though there will be a little turn for the spinners here.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, have a few injury concerns going into the game. Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mahmudullah and Mustafizur Rahman are all recovering from their respective injuries, and if if one fails to recuperate, it will be a massive blow to the side. Bangladesh are not among the contenders for the Cup, but they have caused a few upsets in the past and will be eager to do just that on Sunday.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: Quinton de Kock (10 credits)
Quinton de Kock is one of the most aggressive batsmen in the world at the moment, and if he gets going, there is no stopping him. He was in good form in the IPL, and carried it into the game against England as well, where he scored 68. He will be up against a not-so-threatening pace attack, and he will be fancying his chances of getting a good score.
Batsman: Rassie van der Dussen (8.5 credits)
Rassie van der Dussen has had a good start to his international career. He scored a fifty in South Africa's opening game, his fifth in nine innings. He has a career average of over 80, and he will be eager to latch on to his golden run in the event. He also had a good CSA T20 league, which further forced the selectors to pick him in the 15.
All-rounder: Shakib Al Hasan (9.5 credits)
Shakib is central to Bangladesh's success in the team, and he will have a huge role to play with both bat and ball. He is currently the number 1 ODI all-rounder in the world, and on a track that has a little something for the spinners, Shakib will want to strike and get a few wickets under his belt.
Bowler: Imran Tahir (9 credits)
Tahir, ranked fourth in the world in ODIs, causes problems with his leg-spin across conditions. He was on fire against England, as he became the first spinner to bowl the first over in a World Cup game and pick a wicket as well. He has announced his retirement from the format after the event, and will be looking to bow out on a high. He was the star in the IPL as well, and with form in his favour, he will be looking to get a few scalps.
Captain: Quinton de Kock
Vice-captain: Imran Tahir
Predicted Playing XI:
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Rassie van der Dussen, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mossadek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman
