Your essential guide to the first T20I between the Proteas and Bangladesh, which gets under way on Thursday at the Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.
Scenesetter
The Proteas come off a 2-0 Test series win against Bangladesh, followed by a 3-0 ODI whitewash. Can they complete the full-house with a 2-0 series victory in the T20Is? Selectors have opted for an experienced domestic-proven side, staying away from young fringe players. The main talking point will be the injury to Faf du Plessis, out for six week due to a back injury. This puts JP Duminy in charge, with Dwaine Pretorius getting a call-up to the side. This was the perfect opportunity to test the abilities of future prospects, but the selectors have decided to rather give the responsibilities to those who have proven themselves over the last few domestic seasons. South Africa’s T20 form has been weak this year, losing to England and Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the Proteas should cruise to victory in this series; no disrespect to the Tigers.
Keep an eye on…
Robbie Frylinck has received his first Proteas cap. With a T20 strike rate of 150.77 and bowling average of 24.16, Frylinck will have a point to prove why he has only received his first national call-up at 33. Duminy has a lot to prove in his stint as captain. Coming off an under-performing ODI series, which saw him dropped for the third ODI, the 33-year-old has to show selectors that he deserves to wear the Proteas badge.
Form (most recent match last)
South Africa: LWLWL
Bangladesh: LLLLW
Teams: There’s no word on the injury to David Miller, but if he is out we would probably see Dwaine Pretorius take his spot.
South Africa (probable): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk) 2 Hashim Amla 3 AB de Villiers 4 JP Duminy 5 David Miller/Dwaine Pretorius 6 Farhaan Behardien 7 Robbie Frylink 8 Andile Phehlukwayo 9 Beuran Hendricks 10 Dane Paterson 11 Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh (probable): 1 Imrul Kayes 2 Liton Das/Soumya Sarkar 3 Sabbir Rahman 4 Shakib Al Hasan (c) 5 Mahmudullah 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 7 Nasir Hossain 8 Mehedi Hasan 9 Shafiul Islam 10 Taskin Ahmed 11 Rubel Hossain
Stats:
– South Africa have played Bangladesh four times: 2007, 2008 and twice in 2015. SA have won all four times.
– Duminy is the Proteas’ leading run-scorer in T20s with 1683 runs. He needs one more 50 to reach 10 half-centuries.
– This will be the second T20 international at Mangaung Oval.
Quotes:
Robbie Frylinck on his approach to his debut: ‘I’m at that age where I’m not trying new things, I pretty much know my game. For me it’s just about keeping it as simple as possible, sticking to my game plans that have gotten me here, hopefully it will go well.’
Squads:
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Liton Das, Nasir Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin
South Africa: JP Duminy (Cape Cobras, capt), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (Titans), Quinton de Kock (Highveld Lions), AB de Villiers (Titans), Dwaine Pretorius (Highveld Lions), Robbie Frylinck (Dolphins), Beuran Hendricks (Highveld Lions), David Miller (Knights), Mangaliso Mosehle (Highveld Lions), Dane Paterson (Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (Highveld Lions), Andile Phehlukwayo (Dolphins), Tabraiz Shamsi (Titans).
Match starts at 18:00pm.
Photo: Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images
