Proteas touch down in the afternoon
A 25-member South Africa contingent landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:30 pm yesterday afternoon. The group included a 14-member T20 squad and eleven staff members.
The arrival however took place amidst a slight confusion. The BCB had earlier been informed that the team would land in the morning. It was later learnt that the South Africans had in fact booked a different flight. The confusion was a result of a miscommunication between the two boards.
The visitors will face Bangladesh in two T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests. The tour will kick start with two T20Is scheduled to take place on July 5 and 7.
The Proteas will attend their first practice session tomorrow afternoon at the National Cricket Academy Ground in Mirpur. After two days of practice, the visitors will take on a BCB XI in a 20-over practice match at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah on July 3.
This is South Africa's first series ever since their painful semifinal exit in the World Cup in March this year. Prior to their arrival in Dhaka, T20 captain Faf du Plessis hoped that the youngsters who joined the squad after the mega event, would prove their point on this tour.
"This is exciting; it's nice to have young guys coming in. It's almost like the younger the guys are, the more energy they bring to the squad," du Plessis said.
The two teams have never played a T20I in Bangladesh. They did face off twice in this format in 2007 and 2008 in South Africa, and the Proteas won on both occasions.
The three ODIs will take place on July 10, 12 and 15. While the first two are scheduled to take place in Mirpur, the final ODI will be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
The two-match Test series will begin after Eid, with Hashim Amla and Mushfiqur Rahim taking over their respective sides. The first Test will take place in Chittagong while the second and final Test will be played in Mirpur.
Bangladesh's T20I team will be submitted to the board today evening. It was learnt that the selection committee had pondered quite a bit with regards to their spin options.
The names of Shohag Gazi and Jubair Hossain, who played yesterday's practice match, were reportedly discussed.
Having beaten Pakistan and India already this year, the Tigers are on a roll. They have the fourth best winning percentage in 2015 and will hope to continue their good run. However, they will have to battle hard since World Cup semifinalists South Africa have a dominant record against the Tigers.
In the ODIs, South Africa have won 13 out of the 14 encounters between the two sides. In Tests, the Proteas have won all eight encounters -- seven of which were innings victories.