Bangladesh have only won one match in South Africa, which was a T20 encounter against the West Indies in 2007. Bangladesh have played 14 One-Day Internationals and have lost all of them. As a result, defeating the Proteas team in South Africa will be extremely difficult for the tigers. However, the forthcoming series will feature a full-strength Bangladesh team and they will try to upset South Africa. The first ODI preview of the SA vs BAN series 2022 is discussed in this article.

First ODI Match Preview of SA vs BAN Series 2022 

Now that senior players have returned to the camp, Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal is looking for a bold effort from his team. Oppositely, the South African captain, Temba Bavuma, will be hoping for a resounding victory over his opponents. The series opener will take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday at 5 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's bowling and batting units will need to be extremely disciplined in the first match of the series against South Africa. The batters will most likely benefit from the Centurion pitch. Therefore, Bangladesh's pacers just cannot afford to bowl loose deliveries to the Proteas batters. Mustafiz, Taskin, and Shoriful should all bowl stump-to-stump or right outside the off-stump to reduce the chances of scoring freely. They might try short-pitch deliveries to get the batters to chase the ball. If Tamim's field setting is good, this type of effort might work. Shakib is a seasoned player who understands exactly what to do in this situation. Shakib should also guide Miraz to keep the Proteas batters under strain.

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Tamim must be committed to playing a long innings in order to attain a competitive total or run chase. The rest of the batters can play their natural games in the middle if Tamim stays at the crease till the end. Litton Das should play aggressively against South Africa, while Shakib, Mushfiqur, and Mahmudullah must show maturity.

Predicted playing XI

Top Order: Tamim Iqbal (Captain), Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Middle-Orders: Mushfiqur Rahim (Wicket-Keeper), Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Lower-Order: Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed.

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South Africa

This South African team has a lot of confidence after winning the Test and ODI series against India in January. The ODI team is fiercely competitive and features a number of world-class players. They just have one problem, and that is that the team is inexperienced. However, as we saw in the India series, a lack of experience had no impact on South Africa's ability to win matches. They will try to whitewash Bangladesh with complete domination. 

Rabada and Ngidi can obliterate Bangladesh's batting lineup, while Keshav Maharaj can be a potent middle-order spinner. Quinton de Kock, skipper Bavuma, and Markram will all be vital in the batting order. Van der Dussen and David Miller can wreak havoc on Bangladeshi bowlers in the death overs.

Predicted Playing XI        

Top Order: Quinton de Kock (Wicket-keeper), Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (Captain), Middle Orders: Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Lower Order: Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.

Read SA vs BAN: Reminiscing on Bangladesh's historic series win over South Africa

Pitch Report and Weather Forecast

According to Friday's forecasts, the match will be played in cloudy weather with a small chance of rain. The SuperSport Park in Centurion is known for being a batter's paradise. The batters prefer to bat on this surface. As a result, a high-scoring contest between South Africa and Bangladesh is expected. The captain who wins the coin toss may elect to field first.

Bottom Line

The South African team is likely to win the bilateral ODI series against Bangladesh. However, it is far from certain that the hosts will win the series 3-0. Tigers have the potential to upset the Proteas, but it will need a collective effort from the entire team. Bangladesh needs all players to carry out their responsibilities as planned in order to maintain pressure on the South African team. If Bangladesh wins the first ODI of the SA vs BAN series 2022, South Africa will be under a lot of pressure for the second match. 

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