Can Tigers set the record straight?
In terms of ODI cricket, 2015 has been a terrific year for Bangladesh so far. With eight wins in 12 matches, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and company have the fourth best winning percentage this year, with only Australia, New Zealand and South Africa ahead.
And the Tigers will hope to continue that run against the South Africans, who arrive here today to play two T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests.
Like every other side that has toured the Tigers' den this year, South Africa too have a brilliant record against Bangladesh. The two teams have faced each other twice in T20 Internationals and Bangladesh lost on both occasions. Bangladesh though did beat South Africa once during a T20 tri-series contest including Zimbabwe in June 2012.
The Tigers are currently ranked nine with 77 rating points while South Africa are sixth with 110 points. If Bangladesh do manage to win both the games, their rating points will rocket to 93 while the Proteas will fall to eighth. On the other hand, if the Tigers lose both the matches, their rating points will plummet to 73, which will leave them just two points above Scotland, the tenth-ranked side.
The hosts have a slightly better record in the ODIs, having beaten South Africa in the 2007 World Cup. But apart from that solitary win, there's not a lot for the Tigers to show. The two teams have met on 14 occasions with South Africa winning 13 times.
Bangladesh have never managed to beat the Proteas at home and in fact have never bowled them out in an ODI at home either. Having performed well against Pakistan and India in the last two series, the Tigers will hope they can do better against a side that is not quite used to playing in the sub-continent.
That's the reason why the Tigers think-tank may opt to use an extra spinner in the ODIs instead of placing four pacers like they did against India. However, as Bangladesh spin coach Ruwan Kalpage said on Sunday, it would be a bad move to depend solely on spin, since a number of South Africa players are regulars in the Indian Premier League and have played on tracks that turn.
Bangladesh also don't have good memories against South Africa when it comes to Tests. The two teams have met eight times in this format and South Africa won all eight of them. Seven of those eight wins were innings victories.
On two occasions did South Africa's batsmen post 400-plus partnerships against Bangladesh. The first was back in 2003 when Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph shared an unbeaten 429-run stand for the third wicket in Chittagong. The second instance was also in Chittagong, in 2008 when Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith shared a 415-run stand for the opening wicket, thereby breaking the world record.
The last time South Africa came to play a full series in Bangladesh was back in 2008.
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