SA is poles ahead of Bangladesh
Source: Supercricket - October 02, 2002

The two teams that are set to take each other on at the Northwest Stadium in Potchefstroom on Thursday are poles apart in terms of their standing in one-day international cricket. South Africa boast the most successful team in terms of winning ratio, having won 63.1% of their 264 one-day matches while the visiting Bangladesh Tigers could only manage 3 wins, against Scotland, Pakistan and Kenya from the 55 matches they played so far.

Their famous victory over Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup was also embroiled in controversy after the Pakistanis were accused of throwing the match.

Should South Africa whitewash them in this series of three one-day games, Bangladesh would also improve on their own world record of 22 consecutive losses.

However, Neil McKenzie, the captain of South Africa 'A' said that one should bear in mind that Sri Lanka was in the same boat as the Tigers not so long ago.

"They are still learning a lot. Just like Sri Lanka did initially," McKenzie said after his team beat Bangladesh by 72 runs in Soweto on Wednesday. He knocked 77 off 56 balls in that victory.

"It was clear that they struggled against the bounce generated by our pace bowlers, but they had more confidence against our spinner Robin Peterson."

McKenzie went on to say that fast pitches like that of the Soweto Oval was just what the doctor ordered for South Africa against the touring sides coming here this season in the run-up to the World Cup.

"It is just what South Africa need against Bangladesh and also later against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. We would probably beat Bangladesh 3-0 in this series, but it gives us chance to experiment with various combinations.

"Potchefstroom has a good pitch and if South Africa bat first they should make about 300 runs," McKenzie said.

Teams:

Bangladesh (from): Khaled Mashud (c), Kazi Bashar, Al Sahariar, Tushar Imran, Khaled Mahmud, Monjurul
Islam, Talha Jubaer, Mohammed Rafique, Tapash Baishya, Alok Kapali, Javed Belim, Hannan Sarkar,
Sanuar Hossain, Islam Khan, Anwar Hossain.

South Africa (from): Shaun Pollock (c), Mark Boucher, Dale Benkenstein, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald,
Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Mfuneko Ngam, Justin Ontong, Graeme Smith, Errol
Stewart, Martin van Jaarsveld.

Umpires: Brian Jerling, Billy Bowden (NS), Karl Hurter (3rd), Shahid Wadvalla (TV).