ICC T20 World Cup
South Africa will be under pressure, says Shakib ahead of Super 12 clash
The Bangladesh team is also set to make their debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the match, a ground that is known to provide more help to the slower variety of bowlers
Bangladesh Twenty20 captain Shakib Al Hasan is deflecting the pressure on South Africa ahead of their Super 12 match of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday, saying the match is a ‘do or die match’ for the Proteas.
The Tigers got off to a winning start in their T20 World Cup campaign on Monday with a nine-run win over the Netherlands at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
Rain stopped play twice during the Bangladesh-Netherlands match but both rain interruptions were brief, so no overs were lost in the match.
But South Africa weren’t as fortunate as their match against Zimbabwe at the same venue later in the night as the match was first truncated to a nine-over-a-side contest due to rain.
Zimbabwe made 79-5 in their nine overs. The target was then adjusted once again due to another rain interruption in the second over of the South Africa reply and the Proteas were asked to chase 64 from seven overs.
Quinton de Kock’s whirlwind 47 off just 18 balls took South Africa to 51 after three overs without losing any wickets.
But rain interrupted the match once again, this time for the final time, and forced the match to be called off.
As per ICC rule, both teams have to bat at least five overs in a T20I for the match to have a result. Due to this technicality, South Africa had to share points with Zimbabwe in a match they were bound to win.
Losing a point against Zimbabwe put South Africa in a tense position in the group. They still have four matches left but losing a point against a team that both India and Pakistan are expected to win two points against puts them at a difficult spot in the race to semi-final.
Shakib knows the equation very well. So, in the pre-match press conference before the Bangladesh-South Africa match, the all-rounder deflected all the pressure on South Africa, a team that is infamous for chocking in crucial matches at ICC tournaments.
“It is a very important match for both sides but for South Africa, who expected two points from their first game, this is a do-or-die match. They will be under some pressure,” Shakib told the reporters during a press conference in Sydney.
The Bangladesh team is also set to make their debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the match, a ground that is known to provide more help to the slower variety of bowlers.
Shakib is excited to play against South Africa, a team more known for its ferocious pace attack, at a ground where Bangladesh could use its spinners more affectively.
“We have a win under our belt, and now we will be playing at a ground that normally aids the spinners. The ICC usually tries to produce true wickets in the World Cup so that everyone gets help.”