'We can handle the heat'

South Africa kick off their tour of Bangladesh today with a T20 warm-up match at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. A practice match may not paint a picture of what may unfold going into the series proper, but the home side would love to see the game set the tone; like Sabbir Hossain did against Pakistan during a practice match at the same venue in April.

While the Bangladesh think-tank will be keeping an eye on recalled off-spinner Shohag Gazi, South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy said they would seek to make the most of their first game of the tour.

"For us the series starts tomorrow [Friday], it doesn't start on Sunday [when the 1st T20I is]. We know how important tomorrow's warm-up game is. We want to get the best out of the conditions we are going to face. This game will give us the feel, going into Sunday's match, that we are well prepared," said Duminy while he was talking to reporters before the training session at Mirpur yesterday.

All the talks revolved around the fact that a buoyant Bangladesh may take on South Africa with a different strategy compared to the one they followed against India in a bid to clinch their first-ever series victory over the Proteas. But Duminy made it clear that they were not at all worried about the conditions, including the heat.

"In practice matches you generally want to get a feel of the conditions. A lot of us have been off for a month. It's just about getting used to the conditions and pace of the ball, whether it's going to take a bit of turn and what our game plan is going to be.

"I guess it's about discussing amongst ourselves, sharing the knowledge that we have. A few of us have played in these conditions for a number of years now. Just assessing what your game plans are against the various bowlers," he said.

"There are few things that will be challenging. The conditions, the heat will come into play. We have to manage ourselves well. It will be our biggest hurdle. Bangladesh are going to come out fighting and we have to counter-punch them," Duminy continued, adding that, "We are definitely no strangers to this heat. April and May is definitely as hot as July in this part of the world."

Bangladesh's team think-tank surprised India with a four-pronged pace attack but they can rely on their traditional spin-strategy against South Africa. However, Duminy said they were not ready to focus solely on spin.

"Anybody can change a game of T20. It takes one over. We will have to make sure we understand what the strengths and weaknesses of every bowler are and play accordingly."

Duminy also showered praise on Bangladesh's recent performances and said that it would be a tough series for them.

BCB XI
Imrul Kayes (captain), Anamul Hoque, Rony Talukdar, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Mahmudul Hasan, Saikat Ali, Shuvagata Hom, Abdur Razzak, Shohag Gazi, Al-Amin Hossain, Abul Hasan and Kamrul Islam.