Positive vibe all around as Tiger sniff a chance against SA

Sydney, 26 Oct  -Bangladesh looked utmost confident to beat South Africa in their second game of the T20 World Cup tomorrow although they haven't won any match against any top teams since the last edition of the World Cup in this format in 2021.

In this period Bangladesh won only five matches, all which came against the likes of Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates and lastly against Netherlands.

Still Bangladesh are confidently, largely due to three reasons-they will have the backing of the Bangladeshi fans here in Sydney, a residence of most of the Bangladeshi expatriate in Australia, the pressure of South Africa to win the game against Bangladesh after they forced to share points with Zimbabwe and the Sydney's traditional favour to the spinners. In fact subcontinent teams always have the advantage in Sydney more than any other venues of the Australia.

Alongside these reasons, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan pointed out that the emergence of their fast bowling group also played a major role in instilling the confidence.

"We are not denying that they have some world class players. But it's a game of bat and ball. We will try to perform well there. We have some good memories against them, maybe in other formats. That will help us mentally. We want to be clear, we want to enjoy the game. I hope a good number of people will come and support us. We hope we'll repay their support," Shakib said.

"Sydney has the largest number of Bangladeshis. So it is very important for us how we can use their support to perform better."

Shakib felt that the win in the opening game against Netherlands kept them in good stead while South Africa would have to regroup them after sharing points with Zimbabwe.

"You will always feel pressure when you play the first game. For us, this is over now as we won the game. South Africa meanwhile lost a point and they will feel pressure. We have to be proactive in executing our plan."