In the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, another big match is set to take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday with the third-placed South Africa competing against the sixth-placed Bangladesh.
The Proteas have been sensational in the tournament so far with three victories in their four games. All the victories have come with a big margin which is proving South Africa to be a dangerous opposition for any side in this edition.
Temba Bavuma missed the last match with an illness as Aiden Markram was the skipper of the side in his absence and everything fell into place for them. Reeza Hendricks made the most of the opportunity offered to him with an innings of 85 runs off 75 balls with nine boundaries and three maximums helping his side post a total of 399 runs.
On the other hand, Bangladesh would be looking to make a comeback in the tournament after losing three matches on the trot. The only victory for them came in their first match against Afghanistan where the team won by 6 wickets.
This is going to be a crucial game for them as a loss this time would make things quite difficult for them going forward. The Asian team missed the services of Shakib Al Hasan in their previous encounter against India and would be hoping to get the services of their skipper against South Africa.
What have they done so far?
Though New Zealand and India are sitting at the top of the points table, it is South Africa who have taken this tournament by storm after their stupendous victories against Sri Lanka, Australia, and England.
They won their battle against Sri Lanka by 102 runs and proved to be stronger against Australia in their next encounter with a victory by 134 runs. The recent match against England was a one-sided affair as they dismantled the current champions by 229 runs.
Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, and Aiden Markram are having a great time with the willow. While de Kock has scored a couple of centuries so far in the tournament, Klaasen and Markram have scored one each and brilliantly taking on the bowlers towards the end.
It is quite a shocker that their only defeat came against the Netherlands. The batting order completely collapsed while chasing a target of 246 runs in 43 overs at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Former Proteas player Reolof van der Merwe was the best bowler for the Dutch side after skipper Scott Edwards played a fantastic unbeaten innings of 78 runs off 69 balls.
On the other hand, Bangladesh won just one match so far and lost the other three against England, New Zealand, and India. Their opening fixture against Afghanistan was a one-sided affair and it looked like a fresh dawn for the Tigers before the three consecutive losses to three giants of world cricket.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have played 24 matches against each other with South Africa winning 18 out of them while Bangladesh have just won 6 to date.
With the kind of form Africans are in, it is not going to be easy for Bangladesh to beat the Proteas on these tracks. However, the Bangla Tigers have won two matches at neutral venues as compared to one by South Africa.
Key Players
Quinton de Kock: Playing his last tournament on the international front, Quinton de Kock will be on everyone’s mind in this match. He has been in scintillating form so far and would like to continue his superb batting against Bangladesh in Mumbai.
De Kock has announced retirement from international cricket before the tournament and the southpaw would want to finish things on high.
Litton Das: Litton Das has been playing well in this World Cup but the team must be hoping for a big knock from him this time. With two half-centuries so far, Das would now want to convert his knocks into a century.
Litton Das will be the player to watch out for in this crucial match against South Africa
Being an opening batter, it is important for him to score runs up the order if the team needs to score around 300 on a flat pitch of Wankhede. If Shakib won’t be there against South Africa, Das has to take charge of batting being a senior player.
Predicted XIs
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram ©, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Bangladesh: Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto ©, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam
Prediction
It is a do-or-die match for the Bangla Tigers as a defeat from here can almost end things for them. They have a solid line-up and they have to score well if they bat first on this batting-friendly wicket of Wankhede Stadium.
However, if the Africans bat first and play in a similar way, there is a strong possibility that they will put a big total on the board and defeat Bangladesh with ease.