An in-form South Africa go up against Bangladesh in match no. 23 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Tuesday, October 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, starting at 2:00 PM IST. Bangladesh went down against hosts India at Pune in their previous match in the tournament. It was their third loss after prior defeats to England and New Zealand. South Africa, on the other hand, have won three of their four matches, following their massive 229-run victory against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Heinrich Klaasen’s century alongside fifties for Reeza Hendricks and Marco Jansen guided the Proteas to a daunting total of 399/7. Led by Gerald Coetzee’s three-for, the South African men’s cricket team toppled England for 170 in the run chase. (World Cup 2023 points table)
South Africa had won by 102 runs against Sri Lanka and by 134 runs against Australia earlier in the tournament. The Proteas notched 428/5 on a batting-friendly pitch at Delhi while they scored 311/7 in trickier conditions at Lucknow. The bowlers, too, were in prime form in both those matches.
Their only defeat, surprisingly, came versus the Netherlands by 38 runs. The Dutch side scored 245/8 after 43 overs in the rain-curtailed encounter. South Africa, however, fell short as only David Miller and Keshav Maharaj made significant scores.
South Africa are currently third in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 points table with six points and a net run rate of 2.212 – the highest of all 10 teams.
With matches against Pakistan, New Zealand and India to follow, South Africa will be keen on beating Bangladesh at the Wankhede Stadium, where conditions have suited their style of play. Captain Temba Bavuma remains doubtful for the game after missing the win against England due to illness.
Openers: Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks
Quinton de Kock kicked off his ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign with back-to-back centuries against Sri Lanka and Australia, respectively. The wicketkeeper-batter averages 53.50 after nine matches against Bangladesh and also registered his career-best ODI score of 168* against them.
Reeza Hendricks scored an impressive 75-ball 85, including nine fours and three sixes, against England in his first match of the World Cup this year. In the potential absence of skipper Bavuma, Hendricks will be expected to continue his form at the top of the order.
Middle order: Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller
The South African middle order has been in good run-scoring form in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with van der Dussen, Klaasen and Markram notching a ton, each.
Heinrich Klassen scored 109 off just 67 balls to win the Player of the Match award against England in the Proteas’ previous match. Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, meanwhile, smashed quickfire centuries against Sri Lanka as South Africa scored 428 runs in 50 overs.
David Miller, on the other hand, registered 39* and 43 against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, respectively, continuing his rich vein of form in the death overs. The shorter square boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium will suit Miller’s aggressive batting style.
All-rounder: Marco Jansen
With a swashbuckling 75 off 42 balls, Marco Jansen registered his career-best ODI score in the South Africa vs England encounter. The Protea all-rounder also scalped the wickets of in-form Dawid Malan and Joe Root in the run chase, setting up a South African victory.
Marco Jansen is the joint-highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the tournament with eight wickets while he has smashed the joint-most sixes (8) for the Proteas as well.
Bowlers: Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada has picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 5.74 in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Gerald Coetzee and Lungi Ngidi have also been successful in the pace department with seven and six wickets, respectively.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, meanwhile, is expected to play a key role for the South Africans in the middle overs. He has taken six wickets in four matches so far.
South Africa Predicted Playing XI:Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
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