South Africa captain Faf du Plessis cautious of new and unknown Bangladesh players

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis says they have plans ready for the key Bangladesh batsmen, but they are cautious about facing the hosts' new and unknown players.

Sports Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 4 July 2015, 05:53 PM
Updated : 4 July 2015, 06:53 PM

Obviously these new players include Soumya Sarker, Sabbir Rahman and Mustafizur Rahman who have taken the Bangladesh cricket to a new dimension with their fearless and powerful display of batting and bowling.
 
Du Plessis spoke about them with respect at a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
 
The Tigers will face South Africa in the first of the two-match Twenty20 series on Sunday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
 
"I think there are a few players," du Plessis said when asked whether they had planned anything to take on the major Bangladesh cricketers.
 
"The nice thing about the Bangladeshi team at the moment is the new guys coming through and that’s specially in T20 cricket can be sometimes dangerous.
 
"Because these guys you haven’t seen or played against and T20 cricket is a lot shorter. You don’t have two overs where you can as a batsman look the bowler out and then try to play him differently," he said.
 
"You have to make decisions a lot quicker. Sometimes the unknown is very dangerous," the Proteas skipper added.

Threatening de Villiers in top order

South Africa are thinking of playing AB de Villiers in the top order to get the best out of him, which may become a serious threat to Bangladesh.

The master blaster may come in as opener or first down on Sunday's match.

De Villiers opened in the warm up match against BCB XI on Friday and had blasted the bowlers with ease.

"Yeah, we want to try and get AB in a little bit earlier. Whether it will be open or three, we are still talking about it. A higher role then he used to have," said Faf du Plessis at Saturday's media call.

De Villiers had played his last T20 International in Mirpur against India in the World Twenty20 semi-final in April last year.

He came in at five in that match and got out after making only 10 runs.

In the previous match against England in Chittagong, he had struck a 69-not-out from 28 balls after coming in at three.

In his T20I career, de Villiers have batted at four 27 times and 15 times at three. He also came in at five in eight matches and at six in three games.

The Proteas batsman had opened in a match against Pakistan in 2013 and made 36 runs off 22 balls.