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The opening T20 International against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday marks the start of an important season for the Oxigen Proteas’ squad. The series-opener is the first of 12 T20I’s the Proteas will be contesting this season, culminating with the ICC World Twenty20 in India in March. South Africa are currently ranked 6th on the ICC T20 team standings, and will have opportunities against New Zealand, India, England and Australia to further their gains up the rankings before the World event.
“It’s the start of the season for us,” captain, Faf du Plessis said to the media in Mirpur on Saturday. “A lot of the guys haven’t played a lot of cricket, except for the guys that played in the IPL, so everyone is coming in fresh, that’s what you need in T20 cricket. It’s a big year for Test cricket and T20 cricket in the lead-up to the Twenty20 World Cup next year. The ODI’s are still important but you will see one or two opportunities being given to younger guys to make sure we are looking ahead to four years’ time.
“It’s nice from a captaincy point of view that the T20’s have a bit of importance this season, last year the focus was on one-day cricket,” he added. “Last year there were a lot of senior players who were rested so it’s nice to have them back as we plan for the season ahead.”
The Proteas’ last appearance at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was the semi-final encounter against India in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup last year, where India chased down a competitive total of 172. Du Plessis says it will be important to adapt quickly to the conditions presented on the day.
“On the day you have to assess what the pitch is like,” he explained. “We haven’t played here for a while, the last game we played here was during the World Twenty20. We have to make the decisions on the day, hopefully it’s a good wicket. If it’s low and slow we will have to adapt accordingly.”
The opening T20 International against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday marks the start of an important season for the Oxigen Proteas’ squad. The series-opener is the first of 12 T20I’s the Proteas will be contesting this season, culminating with the ICC World Twenty20 in India in March. South Africa are currently ranked 6th on the ICC T20 team standings, and will have opportunities against New Zealand, India, England and Australia to further their gains up the rankings before the World event.
“It’s the start of the season for us,” captain, Faf du Plessis said to the media in Mirpur on Saturday. “A lot of the guys haven’t played a lot of cricket, except for the guys that played in the IPL, so everyone is coming in fresh, that’s what you need in T20 cricket. It’s a big year for Test cricket and T20 cricket in the lead-up to the Twenty20 World Cup next year. The ODI’s are still important but you will see one or two opportunities being given to younger guys to make sure we are looking ahead to four years’ time.
“It’s nice from a captaincy point of view that the T20’s have a bit of importance this season, last year the focus was on one-day cricket,” he added. “Last year there were a lot of senior players who were rested so it’s nice to have them back as we plan for the season ahead.”
The Proteas’ last appearance at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was the semi-final encounter against India in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup last year, where India chased down a competitive total of 172. Du Plessis says it will be important to adapt quickly to the conditions presented on the day.
“On the day you have to assess what the pitch is like,” he explained. “We haven’t played here for a while, the last game we played here was during the World Twenty20. We have to make the decisions on the day, hopefully it’s a good wicket. If it’s low and slow we will have to adapt accordingly.”
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