‘We can beat any side anywhere in the world’

Whether to focus on the batting line-up's form and ability to counter South Africa's pacers or to focus on their own pace battery's performance on South African soil is what may boggle the Bangladesh think-tank most going into the first ODI at Centurion today.

Bangladesh have never won on South African soil in any format, so rather than going in with shaky feelings and a half-hearted approach borne from past defeats, Tamim Iqbal opted for brevity. "We know that South Africa is always a difficult tour for us. We want to change that and for that we have to prepare ourselves for a difficult challenge and be brave," the ODI skipper claimed at the press conference yesterday, a day ahead of the game.

Bangladesh have historically struggled in South Africa, especially with the pace and bounce. The likes of Kagiso Rabada terrorised them in the recent T20I World Cup at UAE too. Anrich Nortje's pace could be a handful while in Tabraiz Shamsi they have the kind of bowler that Bangladesh have not really had much experience with.

The ground at Centurion has produced runs in the last three ODIs, with the latest two being the Proteas' series against Pakistan. Tamim, who said that his side had been able to get a feel of the pitch by practicing in the centre wickets, was finding hope from the team's last match against South Africa in ODI format -- a 21-run win at The Oval in the 2019 World Cup.

The players you have mentioned [Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal] are very experienced. They are the guys who have played here in South Africa, they are the guys who have played in Australia. So, you know from a mental point of view, they know what to expect.

— South Africa skipper, Temba Bavuma

"This is a ground where, if you go by the statistics, you see that a lot of runs are scored because the ground is a bit smaller and the outfield is fast. But whatever the statistics say, you have to accept that we have to play well. We're ready for the challenge. We know they will be onto us. We have to handle the pressure. We played well against them recently and I believe there is no reason not to do well. The most important thing will be how we start tomorrow," Tamim said.

The team will be buoyed by the fact that ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is keen on taking on the Proteas as well. "He is with the team and he's fully available for all the matches. Shakib is waiting for tomorrow's match and he wants to do well. Just like I want to do well, the other members of the team want to do the same," Tamim informed.

Alongside exactly how much of an advantage fast bowlers will get on tracks that might be flat, the main worry may be how the top-order can weather and push past the early storm.

"We know it will be challenging. If you think about it, bar one or two, most of the members of our side are quite experienced with at least 40-50 ODIs in the bag. Everyone knows what to expect. The most important thing will be the mindset. If we have a good day, I feel we can beat any side anywhere in the world," Tamim said.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was counting on having a good day too. Bangladesh had the experience and for Bavuma the Tigers deserved respect.

"The players you mentioned [Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim] are very experienced. They are guys who have played here in South Africa… they are guys who have played in Australia. So, from a mental point of view, they know what to expect. They [Bangladesh] are on top of the [ICC ODI Super] League, so we will give them the respect. But it's what happens on the day that matters," he concluded.

• Bangladesh are already on top of the ICC ODI Super League table with 100 points from 15 matches. Even a single win from the three-match series against South Africa would further solidify the Tigers' chances of qualifying for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. 
• South Africa, meanwhile, are 10th in the Super League table with just 39 points from 10 matches. 
• Bangladesh are yet to win in any formats away to South Africa. The Tigers have played nine ODIs, six Tests and four T20Is against the Proteas in their backyard. 
• Playing in 14 of the 21 ODIs between Bangladesh and South Africa, Shakib Al Hasan has scored 397 runs – the highest among the players from the current squads of the two sides. 
• Quinton de Kock is just behind Shakib in the top-scorers' chart. However, De Kock took only seven matches to score 354 runs at an average of 59.
• With 13 wickets in seven ODIs, Kagiso Rabada is the active player with the most number of wickets against Bangladesh. 
• Shakib also scalped the same number of wickets as Rabada but the all-rounder played seven more games than the pacer.