The bilateral ODI series between South Africa and Bangladesh is set to begin on Friday (March 18). The hosts, South Africa are overwhelming favourites to win the series, with the Bangladesh team set to play catch-up. However, the visitors have a fair chance this time because all of the expected names are available for the series. They might also draw encouragement from their historic bilateral series win over the Proteas national team in 2015. This article is intended to motivate Bangladesh cricket fans by recalling Bangladesh’s remarkable ODI series triumph against South Africa.
Down the Memory Lane: Bangladesh vs South Africa ODI Series 2015 After losing the limited-overs series against Bangladesh, the South African players probably had a discussion among themselves that what happened in Bangladesh would remain in Bangladesh.
It’s reasonable that the South African team would prefer not to rekindle those experiences after such a poor performance in the limited-overs series. However, the Bangladesh team might draw motivation from the outcome of that series whenever they play a strong opponent, especially South Africa. Take a look at how Bangladesh pulled off the unthinkable against South Africa in the 2015 ODI series.
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Debutant Kagiso Rabada Burst onto the International Stage with Pace
Bangladesh’s series opener at the SBNCS in Mirpur did not go as planned. In fact, it was a one-sided affair overall, with South Africa dominating from start to finish. Kagiso Rabada, a young pacer, made his senior international debut for the Proteas, and what an incredible first match it was for him. With his sheer pace and accuracy, the right-arm medium pacer terrorized Bangladesh’s batting order, picking up six wickets in his debut. No one could have imagined a better way to make a debut.
In 36.3 overs, Bangladesh were bowled out for 160 runs. Shakib Al Hasan led his team in batting with 48 runs from the bat. Kagiso Rabada finished his spell with a tally of 8-3-16-6.
The South Africans had little issue chasing down the target, winning by two wickets in 31.1 overs. Faf du Plessis had the best score of 63* runs for the Proteas.
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Bangladesh’s Bowlers Shake Up South Africa’s Batting Order
The visitors were expected to continue to dominate the hosts in the second ODI after achieving a commanding victory in the first. However, Bangladesh’s bowling unit astounded everyone with their superb discipline and excellent variations with the ball in accordance with the conditions.
Bangladesh continued to take wickets at regular intervals from the start of the South African innings. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza was terrific with his bowling rotation, which paid off spectacularly for the hosts. The South Africans lost all of their wickets in 46 overs and scored only 162 runs. The performance was comparable to Bangladesh’s in the first match. Mustafizur Rahman and Nasir Hossain both took three wickets.
Bangladesh comfortably chased down the low target in the 28th over for the cost of three wickets. The Player of the Match, Soumya Sarkar, scored 88* runs off 79 balls and Mahmudullah Riyad contributed 50 runs.
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Bangladesh’s Pure Domination in the Series-Deciding Match
Bangladesh gained a lot of confidence after squaring the series with a crushing victory in the second match. The hosts expected to stun the visitors in order to secure a historic ODI series. The third match was held at Chattogram’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, which was unfamiliar territory for the South African team.
The match was trimmed to 40 overs on each side due to the inclement weather. The South African batting order crumbled once more, resulting in a score of 168/9. South Africa was undone by Mustafiz’s cutter, Masharfe’s accuracy, Rubel’s skiddy delivery, and Shakib’s efficient left-arm bowling. Shakib grabbed the highest wickets for Bangladesh, with three.
Bangladesh was even more devastating in the run chase. The Tigers got off to a good start thanks to Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar’s opening stand. Tamim scored 61 runs, while Soumya made 90 runs off 75 balls. Bangladesh won the series 2-1 after winning the match in 26.1 overs.
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Soumya Sarkar was outstanding throughout the series. He justifiably won the Player of the Series award after scoring 205 runs in three innings and averaging 102.50.
Aftermath
The most notable aspect of the 2015 bilateral ODI series between Bangladesh and South Africa was the Bangladesh team’s variation in bowling. Bangladesh had three different types of pacers, one world-class left-arm spinner, and two effective off-spinners for the limited-overs format. The South African team found the conditions and pitches in Bangladesh to be unfavorable. Besides, Mashrafe Mortaza’s determination and leadership abilities were unmatched. That is why the Proteas had such a difficult time performing during the series.
Tamim Iqbal-led Bangladesh’s current ODI team may take a lot of inspiration from that historic limited-overs series triumph. Three in-form pacers and three good spinners were included in Bangladesh’s ODI squad. The only worry is that most bowlers are unfamiliar with the conditions in South Africa. Therefore, veteran batters might be crucial for Bangladesh during the series.
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