Can South Africa escape the ‘group of death’ with a win over Bangladesh?

Who: Bangladesh vs South Africa
What: ICC T20 World Cup Group D match
When: Monday, June 10, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT)
Where: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, US
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text and photo coverage begins at 11:30 GMT

South Africa go into their clash against Bangladesh knowing a win will all but seal their spot in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup.

The Proteas have had two contrasting encounters on the tricky pitch at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, but they will take the experience of playing two matches when they meet Bangladesh on Monday.

Should Aiden Markram’s side win, they will consolidate their top position in the so-called group of death which also includes Sri Lanka, the Netherlands and Nepal.

But Markram is wary of the threat Bangladesh pose, especially with their all-round bowling attack.

“It’s going to be a proper challenge for us [against] a really strong Bangladesh team,” the South Africa captain told reporters on Sunday.

The Proteas have played all their matches in New York so far and have a slight edge over Bangladesh, who last played at the venue in a June 1 warm-up match against India, and Markram said the greater knowledge of the conditions will help them plan better.

“We can develop plans [on] how to get to a score of maybe about 140 if we bat first and hopefully then our bowlers can do the rest.”

Bangladesh enjoyed great support in their first match against Sri Lanka in Dallas, and Markram expects more of the same in New York but said his side will focus on the action inside the boundary ropes and not beyond.

“I think there are quite a few South Africans living [here] – so for them to come out in their numbers and get behind us has been quite cool.”

Bangladesh ready for a ‘good fight’

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s coach Chandika Hathurusinghe said his team was “relieved” to have got over the line against Sri Lanka in their first match, but he expects them to perform better in their remaining three group games.

“Lately, we have been inconsistent,” the coach said, blaming it on a lack of confidence.

“Confidence plays a big part in T20 cricket and it’s a difficult format because you have to [be on the] get-go from the start.”

Bangladesh’s batting has been poor in recent games but middle-order batters Liton Das and Towhid Hridoy have hit form in the T20 World Cup. Both batters were top scorers for the Tigers against Sri Lanka. Hridoy hit four sixes in his 20-ball-40.

However, the conditions in New York will be different and Hathurusinghe expects batters to still find it difficult to hit big shots despite the recent improvement in the playing surface.

“If they [batters] can’t adapt to the conditions, it’s difficult for them. [Their] success depends on their ability to adapt.”

Hathurusinghe said the South African bowling attack can pose problems for his side but they are ready for “a good fight”.

Pitch and weather conditions

The much-talked about New York pitch seems relatively settled since its opening match between India and Ireland, although bowlers should still find plenty of assistance.

The India-Pakistan game a day earlier saw both teams surpass 100 runs on the new surface that was unveiled for the match.

The weather forecast is partly cloudy with a light breeze. Intermittent light showers could disrupt the game for a brief period.

Head-to-head

South Africa enjoy dominance over their South Asian opponents in the T20 formats, having won all of their eight encounters comfortably.

Three of these wins have come in the T20 World Cup.

Form guide

Bangladesh squeezed past Sri Lanka in their opening game, but only just. Prior to the World Cup, they lost a T20 series against co-hosts USA and won a closely-fought T20 series at home against Zimbabwe.

South Africa were able to overcome a strong Dutch challenge in their second game, largely thanks to David Miller’s heroics with the bat. The game was played in New York and the Netherlands’ disciplined bowling had the Proteas on the ropes. Markram’s men won their opening match against Sri Lanka, in New York as well, with relative ease. However, they lost a T20 series against West Indies 3-0 shortly before the World Cup

Bangladesh: W W L L W
South Africa: W W L L L

Bangladesh team news

Bangladesh are expected to field the same side that beat Sri Lanka on Friday.

Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

South Africa team news

Despite the challenge posed by the New York pitch and their stutter against the Netherlands, South Africa are unlikely to change the XI that brought them their second win of the tournament.

Squad: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Bjorn Fortuin, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Bjorn Fortuin, Tabraiz Shamsi