South Africa and Bangladesh are set to face off in a crucial ICC T20 World Cup Group D match on Monday, June 10 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The Proteas, currently at the top of their group, are looking to secure their spot in the Super Eight stage of the tournament with a win. Captain Aiden Markram is well aware of the challenge that Bangladesh poses, particularly with their strong all-round bowling attack. South Africa has been playing all their matches in New York so far, giving them a slight advantage in terms of familiarity with the conditions.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s coach Chandika Hathurusinghe expressed relief at their narrow victory over Sri Lanka in their first match, but expects a better performance from his team in the upcoming games. The team has been inconsistent lately, attributed to a lack of confidence in T20 cricket. Key middle-order batters Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy have been in good form, with Hridoy hitting four sixes in his 40-run innings against Sri Lanka. Hathurusinghe acknowledges the challenge posed by South Africa’s bowling attack but is confident that his team is ready for a tough fight.
The New York pitch, which has seen some high-scoring encounters recently, is expected to still offer assistance to bowlers. The weather forecast for the match is partly cloudy with a light breeze, and there may be intermittent light showers that could briefly disrupt the game. South Africa has a dominant record against Bangladesh in T20 formats, having won all eight encounters, with three of those wins coming in the T20 World Cup.
In terms of form guide, Bangladesh narrowly defeated Sri Lanka in their first match, while South Africa overcame a strong challenge from the Netherlands with David Miller’s heroic batting. Both teams have had mixed results in recent T20 series leading up to the World Cup, with South Africa losing to West Indies and Bangladesh winning against Zimbabwe. Both teams are expected to field unchanged sides for the upcoming match, with confidence high in their respective abilities to secure a crucial win in the tournament.
