SuperSport's Bangladesh Diary - Week 1

Wednesday, 23 March

The looks on the faces of South Africa’s players as they walked off the field at the end of the third ODI against Bangladesh would have been priceless if the cost of the defeat was not so potentially astronomical in real, financial terms. Not just beaten by opponents they were expected to dominate, but thrashed by them.

Bowled out for 154 and losing by nine wickets - and bowled out by a fast bowler, not spinners, on a surface the batters should have been in their element.

The Proteas’ four remaining series in the World Cup Super League are against England (at home), India and Australia away and the Netherlands, if space can be found in the schedule for them to return.

The secondary qualifying tournament beckons involving the bottom five teams from the WC Super League and the five highest ranked Associate nations.

So never mind Oman, UAE, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland and hosts Zimbabwe (the tournament will take place in Harare), there will be two other ‘major’ test-playing nations involved in the 10-team tournament. Only the two finalists will qualify for the 2023 World Cup.

Speculation about the reasons for defeat is often futile and pointless. Sometimes the reasons for defeat are straightforward and simple – perhaps South Africans should be focusing their attention on Russell Domingo, his coaching assistants and the Bangladesh players rather than looking inward at the Proteas’ failings.

But for a team which beat India, the best ODI team in the world, 3-0 in their last series just over a month ago, they will have to suck up the theories about their dismally embarrassing performance against Bangladesh.

IPL distraction? “Only they will know that,” said captain Temba Bavuma, a highly intelligent and ‘aware’ man who would have been aware that his comment would not only be open to interpretation, but would inspire it.

Zubayr Hamza had nothing to do with the defeat, of course, but his voluntary suspension from international cricket for a positive test for a banned substance - Furosemide – no doubt added to the multitude of off-field distractions in the Proteas camp.

The support for Hamza from CSA and SACA has been worthy and admirable. Clearly they believe the substance, a diuretic, was taken without knowledge that it was banned. We dearly hope CSA are backing the right horse. They have backed the wrong one in the past.

Saturday, 19 March

For over two decades, Bangladesh celebrated every, admittedly rare, victory as though it was a World Cup triumph. Wins in international cricket matches deserve to be cause for a party but less so when series after series is lost. Often Bangladesh triumphs have been consolations when the series has already been lost.

Winning the first game of a three-match ODI series against one of the ‘major’ test-playing nations is unprecedented away from home and they are aiming high: “It is not possible to look for progress if you don't have big dreams and now we are dreaming big,” said Mehidy Hasan, who claimed 4-61 in Friday’s 38-run victory at Supersport Park.

“We want to win more overseas series. We want to win the Asia Cup, the World Cup. We are following these plans and trying to stick to the right process,” Mehidy said.

At times, Bangladesh have been unplayable in home conditions with clean-sweep victories against the West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan in the last decade and a famous 2-1 victory against South Africa in 2015 but they have been notoriously poor travellers. A win in the second ODI at the Wanderers on Sunday or in Centurion on Wednesday will emphatically conclude their best bilateral series result.

Mehidy conceded 39 runs from his opening four overs and appeared to be heading for a disastrous evening before veteran left arm spinner Shakib-al-Hasan offered him some timely advice: “Shakib told me to bowl slower and I always listen to Shakib in tough situations. He has vast experience, and he usually assesses the wicket very well,” said Mehidy.

The Proteas were palpably poor on Friday. There was not only a lack of discipline, but a lack of energy, intent. That doesn’t mean there was a lack of will, but it is impossible not to conclude that the side-shows are taking their toll. The saga with the IPL-contracted players declining to play test cricket for their country and the bizarre inclusion of several names on the national contract list ahead of others with far stronger claims cannot be helping morale.

All of which strengthens Bangladeshi hopes of a series win which will strengthen their place at the top of the World Cup Super League and increase the likelihood of South Africa having to play the likes of Oman, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Ireland and the UAE in a pre-qualifier just to get to the 2023 World Cup.

Friday,18 March

Only the least charitable South African supporters will deny Bangladesh their day in the headlines and only the most mean-spirited will look at the home team’s short-comings on a miserable day for them without paying due and sufficient credit to the tourists who were not just better with bat and ball but comfortably out-performed their hosts in vigour, energy and what appeared to be enthusiasm for the contest.

This series may well turn out to be a ‘must win’ for South Africa if they want to avoid the ignominy of trying to qualify for the 2023 World Cup without having to reach the final of the secondary qualifying tournament involving the best of the Associate nations. Given that scenario, and perhaps nobody has pointed it out to the players, the lack of vim and vigour was extraordinary.

Bangladesh had the luxury of Russell Domingo behind the wheel in his home country and the presence of Albie Morkel in a previously uninvented role as ‘power hitting coach’. Surely he couldn’t have made that much difference in five days? Surely not. But if the role gains traction in franchise cricket in the coming years, Morkel would be well advised to post the ‘180 runs in the final 20 overs’ on his CV in his first game. By Bangladesh. Against South Africa.

The Proteas played poor cricket and perhaps it is best left at that. Bangladesh were fabulous, ebullient and brave, and that is definitely best left untouched. Their first victory in this country, in any format, deserves prolonged celebration. Although not by captain Tamim Iqbal who was immediately focussing on the second game at the Wanderers on Sunday: “We can win the series.”

Bangladesh were simply better on the day, and much better. But given the absence of denials to the contrary, it is reasonable to question the atmosphere within the Proteas camp. The IPL has been a hugely divisive presence in many national squads over the last decade with hard-working regulars giving their all for the national cause while higher profile teammates grab the cash in India.

Test captain Dean Elgar called it “a test of loyalty” when CSA allowed the IPL-contracted players to make their own decision whether to play for South Africa or their IPL teams. They were all there in body against Bangladesh, and they might even have been there in spirit, but were the others? Aiden Markram’s third ball millionaire’s cover drive to depart for a duck looked horribly like his mind and priorities lay elsewhere.

Thursday, 17 March

It was just under 14 years ago that Jacques Kallis faced one of his stiffest challenges. South Africa were due to head to Australia for a three-test series over the Christmas and New Year period and the levels of anticipation and excitement were palpable, not least within the playing group.

But there was the little matter of a couple of test matches and three ODIs against Bangladesh to be negotiated before the team departed for Perth. The problem Kallis had was paying due respect to the tourists to South Africa without making them sound like a ‘warm-up’, a starter course before the main meal. He failed.

“Every international match is important, every time you pull on the Proteas shirt is the same,” Kallis said without any conviction. No, every match wasn’t the same back then and they certainly aren’t the same now, for a variety of reasons.

But now that there is a World Cup Super League that ensures qualification only for the top seven out of 13 teams, and the World Test Championship, the arrival of Bangladesh for their fourth tour of South Africa is of the utmost importance and significance. If Dean Elgar can lead a heavily diluted team to victory in both of the test matches then they will face England in August and Australia at the end of the year with a genuine chance of playing in the second edition of the World Test Championship final.

The ODIs, however, are equally important with the Proteas currently sitting in 10th place on the 13-team Super League. Each team plays four series at home and four series away – the four teams South Africa do not play against are Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Things have not gone well so far with 2-1 series losses away to Pakistan and Sri Lanka and a 1-1 share of the series against Ireland. The solitary game against the Netherlands was Covid-abandoned so Temba Bavuma’s team has just three victories out of ten of their 24 games. Two of the remaining series are away against India and Australia. If the logistics of a packed schedule don’t allow the Netherlands series to be reorganised, those points will be shared.

In other words, although it may be too early to see it now, the 30 points available against Bangladesh may be crucial to the Proteas qualifying automatically for the 2023 World Cup in India. Should they stumble, they will enter a second Qualifying tournament in Harare early next year alongside the likes of Ireland, Scotland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands.

So if you have made the mistake of thinking: “It’s only Bangladesh, it isn’t that important,” think again. Kallis’s words in 2008 were well-intentioned but in 2022 they are true.