The Tigers were fantastic in the World Cup down under, they were magnificent against Pakistan and they have dominated India -- a fairytale by any stretch of imagination. But during that never seen before magic spell a fear was also looming large that bad time will come. And it did come with the arrival of South Africa, who have so far won both the T20Is and the first ODI against the Tigers in convincing fashion.

And with the second ODI of the three-match series at Mirpur today, it's about time for a cornered Tigers to answer the burning questions. Will they be able to stage a turnaround against adversity? Will they be able to overcome their biggest challenge of saving a series against a rampant Proteas?

The bowlers including hero of the last series Mustafizur Rahman so far have done a decent job but the main headache remained with the batting that needs to click as a unit if the Tigers are to make a turnaround.

"It's very simple that we have to improve our batting to bounce back in the series," said Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who believes that it's not an impossible task to beat a formidable South Africa.

"I don't find any reason to be puzzled after defeats in three matches and everything is not lost yet. This team proved that they have got the ability to play good cricket and win matches and it's unfair to think otherwise only after two or three defeats. We just need to do the right things in the middle. It's nice to see that everybody in the team is confident about a turnaround," said a confident Mashrafe.

After the eight-wicket defeat in the first ODI, Bangladesh skipper has cried for long innings from the top order, especially he wants his batsmen to convert their start into big knocks. He also wants to see his main batsman Mushfiqur Rahim get his rhythm back and convert his starts into big innings.

In the last few games Mushfiqur got the starts. He scored 14, 31, 24, 17, 19 and 24 but had failed to convert those into a big knock and as a result Bangladesh batting also suffered. In the last game if he had carried on along with a feisty Shakib Al Hasan instead of playing his favourite slog-sweep, it could have allowed Bangladesh to post a good total despite a poor start.

"I don't know what the exact reason behind the failure of the batsmen to convert the start is but I am confident that they will come back strongly in the second match. No doubt Mushfiqur is our key batsman and he holds the innings in the middle, so it is very important that he plays a big knock and I am sure he will do it. I'm happy with our bowling so far, what we need is a calculated batting," said Mashrafe.

The Bangladesh think-tank was considering bringing changes to the team for the second ODI. Anamul Haque may come in place of Litton Das though there was a strong opinion of giving Litton more chances while they were also thinking of playing left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny in place of leg-spinner Jubair Hossain.