'Sure someone will step up for Tigers'
Two new captains will take the field today in the first T20I series as Shakib Al Hasan will start his second stint of national captaincy and JP Duminy will be filling in for regular skipper Faf du Plessis, who injured his lower back during the third ODI and is now out for six weeks.
The talk from the Bangladesh skipper was that the visitors will have nothing to lose at the end of a long tour during which they lost the Test series 2-0 and the ODI series 3-0.
"For me there are two ways to look at that," said Duminy yesterday when asked whether there was a danger in facing a side that has nothing to lose. "It can be dangerous as you mentioned as they have nothing to lose. Or they can have one foot in the plane already, wanting to go home. We will find out tomorrow [Thursday]. But our main target as a team is focusing on what we want to do, and that is to walk away from the series 2-0."
But the left-hander was prepared to give Bangladesh their due.
"It's not like we will just walk over them. Obviously we are confident coming into the series. We believe we have the players to win, but we know it's going to be a tough contest. They have some world class players.
"The shorter the format is, the closer the teams come to each other. Bangladesh are pretty much a formidable team. Yes, they are dealing with some injuries and that may help us in some way. But again it is an opportunity for young players to perform well in that vacant place which can cause a problem for us."
That has been the refrain throughout the series; when a South African player has been asked about Bangladesh's injuries, they have said that it is a good opportunity for someone else. And they have proven it as throughout the Tests and ODIs they were missing at least three bowlers to injury but still managed to dominate.
"It's always difficult when you play away from home, especially for a new guy, who is obviously used to his home conditions," he said when asked whether the lack of someone stepping up for Bangladesh surprised him. "I am not surprised, but again, it's another opportunity for young players. You got nothing to lose. And I am sure there are some players who will put up their hands."
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