‘We will not undermine Bangladesh’: Proteas captain Bavuma

The Proteas are fully prepared and ready for a tough three-match ODI series against Bangladesh and will be targeting a 3-0 win over their subcontinent opponents, with the first match being played at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday (1pm start).

With ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League points available, it is an important series for both teams, especially for the hosts, who are 10th on the standings, while the visitors sit top.

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“We are not in any way going to undermine Bangladesh. We are warning ourselves against complacency and we have prepared for them as we would for any opposition,” explained Proteas captain Temba Bavuma.

“We know they have match winners in their team and guys who can do the business on any given day. In terms of preparation and expectation we won’t compromise or fall short on that and we will give them the respect they deserve.”

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The Proteas will be looking to use the conditions to their advantage, with all three of the matches taking place on the Highveld, and they will unleash their much vaunted pace attack on the visitors.

“Conditions do act as an advantage for a home series. We know how to play on these surfaces with the bat and ball. It’s a lot more instinctive for us, so we will make use of that advantage and make it work in our favour,” said Bavuma.

“With the one-day series being played in the Highveld you would expect there to be pace and bounce, true to what South African Highveld wickets are like.”

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The home side heads into the series off of a superb 3-0 series win over India in their last outing two months ago and they will aim to build on the positives taken out of it.

“Our last series against India was quite a successful one. There were a lot of positives taken out of it on the batting and bowling fronts,” admitted Bavuma.

“So coming back together two months later it is important to remind ourselves of those positives and things that we did well, and make sure that we get ourselves into the right mental space to do that here.”