Bangladesh vs South Africa: 5 areas of improvement for the Tigers

Bangladesh have been comprehensively humbled by South Africa in the first Test at Potchefstroom. Right from the outset, South Africa stormed into the ascendancy and hardly allowed the sub-continent team to get a foothold in the contest.

The South African batsmen set the tone by racking up a massive score in the first innings. Their bowlers followed it by choking the Bangladeshi batsmen. Mushfiqur Rahim’s men looked rusty and never came to terms with the playing conditions.

Thinking caps need to be desperately put on by the Bangladeshi players before they take the field in the second and final Test at Bloemfontein. In the slideshow, we take an insight on the five things which Bangladesh could improve on...

---

#5 Seniors need to take responsibilities

Senior players are an integral part of a team as they need to assume more responsibilities. They are also responsible for setting the benchmark and presenting themselves as role-models for the juniors.

Bangladesh are a tough side to beat in their own backyard and the experienced cricketers have played a major role in their growth as a team.

However, they are lagging far behind when it comes to playing on pitches which aren’t suitable to their style of play. This is exactly where seniority and experience come to the fore.

The likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, somehow, need to find a way to inspire their team after their drubbing in the opening Test.

At times, it only requires a brilliant spell of bowling or a jaw-dropping knock to turn things around for a side. Bangladesh will be hoping for their big guns to fire on all cylinders in the second Test.

#4 Converting starts into big score

Mominul Haque was Bangladesh's highest run-scorer in the opening

In order to succeed in Test cricket, one should know the art of converting starts into big scores. Both from the player’s and the team’s perspectives, it’s a disappointment if a batsman gets out after completing the hard yards.

In the first Test, there were several Bangladeshi batsmen who got off to decent starts. However, they were unable to cash in after getting their eyes in. As many as five Bangladeshi batsmen went into double figures in the first innings, out of which Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah scored half-centuries. But neither of them could go on and get a substantial score. Consequently, Bangladesh conceded a massive lead of 176 runs.

The gap by which they trailed could have been much lower had even a couple of their batsmen gone on to make a century or a bigger score. Nevertheless, the Bangladeshi batsmen can take a leaf out of the books of how the South African batsmen constructed their knocks.

#3 Fast bowlers need to be penetrative

Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh

Fast bowlers are crucial components of a bowling-line up as they share the new ball and the responsibility to make inroads into a batting lineup. Therefore, it’s necessary for a team to have a fast-bowling unit which can pick up wickets.

Bangladesh played Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Shafiul Islam in the opening Test, but they hardly made any impact. Mustafizur bowled well in patches and picked up three wickets in the match.

But apart from him, the performances by the pacers were toothless, to say the least. Consequently, they were punished heavily by the South African batsmen.

South African pitches generate decent bounce and carry, something that assists fast-bowling. However, in order to pick up wickets, the pacers also need to bend their backs to reap benefits out of the pitches.

Going forward, the Bangladeshi pacers can have a look into the pitch maps of Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel in order to get a fair idea of the lengths to bowl on such wickets.

#2 Reduction of dependency on spinners

Mehedi Hasan bowled returned wicket-less after 56 overs in the first innings

Bangladesh cricket has always boasted of producing spinners of the highest quality. In home conditions, it’s their spinners who keep a lid on the opposition batsmen. It’s a reason why Bangladesh are a tough opponent to dominate on spin-friendly wickets.

Meanwhile, the team became highly dependent on its spinners. While the spinners are Bangladesh’s primary wicket-takers, their fast bowlers play the role of containing the batsman from scoring runs quickly.

In the first innings, out of 146 overs, off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz bowled 56 of them, which converted to nearly 40 percent of the bowling-workload. He bowled his heart out but returned wicket-less after his marathon spell of bowling.

Going into the second Test, Mushfiqur Rahim needs to rotate his bowlers judiciously, which might help his team to build some sort of pressure on the host’s batting lineup.

#1 A backup for Shakib-Al-Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan has been pivotal to several of Bangladesh's victories

Over the past decade, Shakib-Al-Hasan has carved a reputation for himself as one of the best all-rounders the cricketing world has ever seen. His sterling performances have guided Bangladesh to victories on numerous occasions.

However, recently, the all-rounder has taken a break from Test cricket in order to prolong his international career. The move might work well for Shakib, but it has left a massive void in the Bangladesh lineup.

It’s also a fact that Shakib is into his 30s and has limited years of cricket left in him. Therefore, Bangladesh need to somehow find an all-rounder who can fill in the shoes of the former Bangladesh skipper.

In the first Test, it was clearly evident that Bangladesh missed Shakib’s services, both with bat and ball as they struggled to put any sort of pressure on the Proteas line-up.