South Africa vs Bangladesh 2017: 5 players to watch out for

Ten matches, eight losses, two drawn washed out Tests.

This is Bangladesh's record against South Africa in Test cricket. They have lost matches by an innings and a few runs on seven out of those ten occasions, underlining the gargantuan disparity between the two teams in Test cricket.

As the sub-continental team lands in South Africa after nine long years, they are an improved side expected to compete better against the hosts who have some notable absentees in the Test line-up. Bangladesh have, of late, managed to secure wins against the likes of England, Sri Lanka and Australia, albeit at home, and are ready to test themselves on overseas waters.

With the two-match Test series set to take off on Thursday, we put together a list of five players whom you should keep an eye on.

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#5 Mustafizur Rahman

This will be an important series for the Fizz

Mustafizur Rahman will shoulder the burden of leading the Bangladesh pace attack in South Africa. Traditionally, Bangladesh pacers have struggled everywhere in the World and this is evident from the fact that they have no fast bowlers in the top 50 wicket-takers in Test cricket since 2014.

Mustafizur has 17 wickets in 6 Tests during this time period at an average of 23.47, which is quite impressive considering the wickets Bangladesh have played on. If the Fizz can work his magic in South Africa, the hosts will not have a bed of roses to bat on.

#4 Kagiso Rabada

In the absence of Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn, Rabada will be in charge of leading the pace attack

While there is infinite potential, Kagiso Rabada needs to grow into his role as South Africa's Test bowling attack leader. With Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander out injured, the lanky seamer alongside Morne Morkel will need to shoulder most of the responsibility in the two-match series against Bangladesh.

After a screaming start to his Test career, Rabada had ordinary tours of New Zealand and England where he averaged 38.87 and 28.43 respectively. However, as he returns to home pitches, Rabada needs to find his groove, especially with bigger series against India and Australia coming up. It will also be interesting to see if he takes up the new ball in Philander's absence.

#3 Mehidy Hasan Miraz

The young off-spinner will be of utmost importance to Bangladesh in South Africa

The 19-year-old Mehidy Hasan has been a revelation for Bangladesh in recent times. He destroyed England in his debut series, taking 19 wickets and becoming the first Bangladesh player to win the Man of the Series award in his maiden Test series.

However, the off break bowler had a rather dull tour of New Zealand and India, where his consistency was put to test by a slew of terrific batsmen. He will face similar challenges in South Africa with the greener tracks making his work tougher. But if Mehidy can come through unscathed with decent figures and hold one end up for the seamers, Bangladesh will be pretty pleased.

Mehidy needs 13 wickets in the two-match series to overtake Waqar Younis and claim the world record for most Test wickets by a teenager.

#2 Mushfiqur Rahim

The Bangladesh skipper will have a huge task ahead of him in South Africa

It is the kind of series that churns out heroes. In the absence of Shakib-al-Hasan, Bangladesh skipper, Mushfiqur Rahim will be tasked with rallying his troops and putting up a fight against the relentless Proteas. An experienced cricketer with a decent record, Rahim has been the pillar of Bangladesh's middle-order for the past few years.

With Shakib missing due to his self-enforced break in Tests, the onus is on Rahim to stand up and fight for his men. He is also the skipper this time around and will have to motivate his younger teammates to give it their all. It will be interesting to watch how Rahim goes about his batting and captaincy in South Africa.

#1 Aiden Markram

Markram has been promoted from the nets to the field

The crowd favourite and young South African sensation, Aiden Markram, has made quite a hullabaloo in recent times and a public outcry has pushed him to partner Dean Elgar at the top for the Bangladesh series. South Africa have tried several openers in the recent past alongside Elgar but haven't been able to zero in one candidate and the lot has finally fallen on Markram, an under-19 World Cup winning skipper.

Markram has the backing of statistics too, with his First-class numbers glowing at the right time. He is certain to open the batting for the Proteas in Potchefstroom and unlike his predecessor, Heino Kuhn, will get more chances to establish himself in the side given that age is on his side. That said, he would be hoping for a fabulous start to his Test career against Bangladesh.