Shakib, AB de Villiers boost Yasir to conquer South Africa

Bangladesh's Yasir Ali celebrates after scoring a half-century (50 runs) during the first one-day international (ODI) cricket match between South Africa and Bangladesh at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 18 March 2022AFP

Youngster Yasir Ali, who played a crucial knock of 50 runs during his partnership with Shakib Al Hasan to throw South Africa out of the game, said he was particularly grateful to Shakib and AB de Villiers to gain the form, which was missing during the home series against Afghanistan.

De Villiers came to Bangladesh’s dressing room day before the first ODI at the invitation of head coach Russell Domingo. His discussion was key while Shakib gave him the confidence when he was in the middle of the crease, reports BSS.

Shakib and Yasir added 115 off just 81 balls, which was believed to be the instrumental of Bangladesh’s 38-run victory. This was Bangladesh’s first victory on South African soil, snapping their 19-match winless streak across three formats.

It was certainly a win that we had expected. When we beat New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, the team started believing that we can beat any team in overseas conditions too
Yasir Ali, Bangladesh cricketer

“When I asked Shakib bhai about the wicket, he told me straightaway that it is a very good wicket,” Yasir said. “You will understand if you play 5-10 balls. Then you can go for your shots. AB de Villiers came out our hotel the other day. He said some stuff which really helped me. I didn’t do well in the Afghanistan series, so this knock will boost my confidence.”

Yasir further said that they expected a victory despite their record in South Africa didn’t speak for them.

“It was certainly a win that we had expected. When we beat New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, the team started believing that we can beat any team in overseas conditions too. There was no difference here. When we were in New Zealand, we were talking about having the belief to win in South Africa. We have to follow the same game plan in the next match, but we also have to ensure that we keep having a positive frame of mind.”

Bangladesh's Yasir Ali and teammate Shakib Al Hasan run between wickets during the first one-day international (ODI) cricket match between South Africa and Bangladesh at SuperSport Park in Centurion on 18 March 2022
AFP

Yasir wasn’t done just with the bat. He held on a superb catch to dismiss Rassie van der Dussen, who scored 86. South Africa still needed 123 in 12.5 overs when Dussen was out. The wicket was important as he had added 70 with David Miller, who went on to make 79.

“It was getting a bit tense. The partnership was growing, but we kept them under pressure. They were getting boundaries but we were bowling a lot of dot balls too. The run-rate was always rising. I was thinking that I need to do something special on this wicket. I wanted to grab any opportunity that came my way. Everyone appreciated the catch.”