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Pacers have to play a vital role: Mushfiqur
September 27 2017
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The Bangladesh skipper feels the team needs to be consistent across all five days to beat South Africa.
The Bangladesh skipper feels the team needs to be consistent across all five days to beat South Africa.
Mushfiqur Rahim believes that the pacers will have to play an important role if Bangladesh have to give South Africa a tough fight in the upcoming two-match Test series, starting Thursday (September 28)
"The pace bowlers will have to play a vital role here," Mushfiqur said. "Pacers play a key in teams that do well overseas.
"Our pacers could not perform as per expectations in the last few Test matches we played overseas, but I am hopeful (they will do well). We have five pacers with us and the best possible three will play. So they know it very well that if they can't perform there are replacements for them in here."
Having lost all their previous four game against South Africa due to the inability of the batsmen to do well against their pace attack, Rahim is confident that his team can turn the tide this time around.
"It is an obvious question and it is going to be difficult for all the subcontinent teams because when you are used to playing in low and slow wickets back home, coming to play on bouncy tracks it is not going to be easy; but it is not going to be too difficult either," he said ahead of the opening clash.
"We have given a lot of examples of our improvements in the last two years. Some can say that we didn't perform as well overseas so there is no chance for us in the Test series against South Africa. But to be honest, I feel that if we can play good cricket, we can beat any top side. Earlier, we could not beat England and Australia at home and no one could think of that happening before it really happened.
"Beating South Africa will be difficult but it is not impossible. If everyone tries hard and luck favours us, we can get good result from the Test series."
While Bangladesh have put up some creditable performances at home in the last 12 months, beating England and Australia, apart from beating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, they would look for more such performances outside the subcontinent as well. Even as they didn't win in New Zealand, they put up some good performances. Mushfiqur hoped that Bangladesh can improve from there and come up with a better show against South Africa as well.
"We have been performing consistently at home, and our next challenge is to do well abroad," he said. "We have done well in the matches that we played this year. In Sri Lanka we drew against them, in New Zealand we did well in the first Test while in India we were very good in the opening three days.
"We played particularly well in Wellington, but all the pressure comes in the middle. To handle those (situations) will need some real courage, and probably guts to handle them will be a great test for us moving forward. That (performance in New Zealand) has given us lot of confidence ahead of the series."
The Bangladesh captain highlighted the importance of the need for the team to be consistent throughout the course of the game and not just excel sporadically. This is aspect where Bangladesh have failed, and despite dominating in parts, allowed the opposition to get away time and again.
"We need to play well session by session; for five days and not just three," he pointed. "When you are playing against big teams like South Africa,, you have to competitive in every ball and in every session.
"That is our main focus and we have to play some good cricket along the series. I think we have that ability to play well in this condition also. As a group, we are confident and we will give a great shot against South Africa."
He confirmed opener Tamim Iqbal's availability for the first Test after the opener had suffered a thigh injury during the warm-up match against South Africa's Invitational XI.
"He is looking good and tomorrow he will be in the park if nothing happens drastically in the afternoon. Hopefully he will be alright to play and that is great news for us."
Bangladesh will take on South Africa in the opening Test at Senwes Park in northwestern university town Potchefstroom from September 28.
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