5 reasons why the Bangladesh-South Africa series is worth watching even without de Villiers and Steyn

The Bangladesh Cricket team are flying high. Even though they were humbled in the T20s by the Proteas and have lost the first game, the fans are optimistic about their chances in the ODI series given that both India and Pakistan have had to depart from Bangladesh with embarrassed faces.And now there is a chance for the Tigers to stamp their authority as contenders in the 50-overs format of the game by beating the mighty South Africans.South Africa, though, are without their key players, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn – something that has taken away some charm off the series. It, however, shouldn’t be the cause of less viewership as here are 4 reasons why the series is worth watching even without them…

#1 The Soumya Sarkar Show

Soumya Sarkar is an exciting opener

Bangladesh have a massive influx of exciting talents off late and Soumya Sarkar is possibly the brightest among them. Hailing from Sathkira, his swashbuckling batting style has caught the eyes of many.

He scores more than 80% of his runs in boundaries and that alone makes fans go berserk as they watch him bat. His subtle class and technique play a huge role in making his shots look effortless. He can play all kinds of shots and is a delight for the eye.

The only problem he has is not being able to convert the starts into big innings – somewhat wasting his talent. He can win Bangladesh many games if he turns those 30s and 40s into 90s or 100s, but one can’t deny the sheer class he oozes with the bat in hand.

When he plays on the off, he reminisces Sourav Ganguly. And when he powers down the leg, it instantly reminds one of Matthew Hayden. However, he has a style of his own and will go down as one of the greatest players to play the game if – and that’s a big if he fulfills his potential.

#2 The crowd

Bangladesh fans are so passionate

Cricket is more than just a passion for Bangladesh and a testament to that can be found in the stadiums when Bangladesh play.

The crowd are always behind the team and make so much noise that it possibly reaches the denizens of heaven. One can get a perfect idea about the zeal of the Bangladeshis if the said person goes to the stadium to watch the Tigers play.

Cricket is the only sport the country of green is good at – or, have some hope at being good. While the national sport of Bangladesh is Hadudu (Kabbadi), cricket is where all the romance is poured on to. And it is this nature that sometimes gets the better of the fans as they exceed the line of sportsmanship because of the obsession with the team.

However, that doesn’t make the Bangladeshis fans inferior as they are among the loudest – and THE loudest when in Chittagong – fans in the world. And for them alone, this series is worth watching.

#3 The Series will be competitive

Bangladesh are no longer pushovers. After reaching the quarter-finals of the World Cup, they beat Pakistan and then India at home – taking their name away from the minnows tag.

With the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar displaying their talents and stamping themselves as key members of the team along with the old guard of Shakib Al-Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, this team is capable of beating anyone in the world.

South Africa are among the best in the world and their strength needs no introduction. Even without Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, they are a very solid team and are clear favourites to win the series. However, Bangladesh won’t just roll over – they will fight and it will be a very competitive one, one worth watching.

#4 Both teams play aggressive cricket

Bangladesh’s brand of cricket has come in for praise.

There was a time when the Bangladesh cricket team were anything but aggressive. The likes of Javed Omar, Shahriar Nafees and Habibul Bashar, though good players in their own regard, played extremely cautiously which sometimes induced somnolence in the viewers.

Now, however, the entire scenario is different. Every player in the team has an attacking mentality – and the opening pair of Tamim and Soumya display it like none other.

On the other hand, with an entire team of aggressive players, South Africa have always been forceful and it won’t be any different this time as well.

So two teams that play aggressive cricket and are now going to face each other in batting-friendly conditions – this is the recipe for entertainment, a recipe one shouldn’t miss.

#5 Exciting new South African cricketers to watch out for

Will Rabada step up?

If the first game was anything to go by, the current bunch of South African players are a highly talented one. While de Kock led the way with the bat, Rabada wreaked havoc against Bangladesh by taking 6 wickets for just 16 – the best figures for a debutant.

Time and tide wait for none. Some day, as much as we hate to think about it, the old guard – the legends – will have to leave. AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn won’t be around forever and replacing them won’t be an easy task. However, looking at this South African team, it seems like the heir apparent to those thrones are talented enough to take over.

And watching them now right from the beginning will just add to the pleasure.