Who will win SA vs Ban 1st Test?
South Africa are set to begin their summer of cricket at home with a two-game test series against Bangladesh. The first of these tests gets underway from September 28 at the Senwes Park, Potchefstroom. Live telecast is scheduled to begin at 10 AM local time each day of the match.
SA vs Ban 1st Test: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, Sky Sports, Fox Sports
Live streaming: Bet365, Foxtel, Sony LIV
Toss Prediction
The Senwes Park has hosted only one test match till date and co-incidentally it happened to be between these two sides back in 2002. So what kind of a surface will be prepared for this game remains a mystery. But since it is expected to be a good batting track, the toss-winning team might prefer to bat first.
Read on for team analysis, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for SA vs Ban 1st Test....
South Africa Team News & Playing 11
Team News
South Africa's pace department will be devoid of Chris Morris, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander who have all been ruled out of the series due to injuries. Aiden Markram is likely to make his test debut and he could open the batting alongside Dean Elgar.
Key Players
Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock have all been in good form over the past few months. Amla has an impressive average of 63.10 in his previous six matches at home and he is going to be the key man for South Africa. Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada will be the team's go-to bowlers for taking early wickets. Since the pitch is expected to offer assistance to the spinners, Keshav Maharaj could come into play as well.
Recent Form
South Africa's last test action came in England in July-August - a four-match series against the hosts which they lost 1-3. Prior to this, they toured New Zealand for a three-match series where they ended up winning 1-0. The Proteas started this year off with a 3-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka at home.
South Africa Predicted Playing 11
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Faf du Plessis (c), Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Andile Phehlukwayo
Bangladesh Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Shakib Al Hasan has taken a break from cricket for a while and so the allrounder won't be available for the two-match series. Mahmudullah is expected to be his replacement. Bangladesh have included Rubel Hossain and Subhasis Roy in their squad to strengthen the seam attack.
Key Players
Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal are coming off a good test series against Australia. They are one of Bangladesh's leading run-scorers in the longest format and so the team's batting is going to depend heavily on these two. For taking wickets, the skipper will turn to his frontline fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman and the extra bounce in the wicket can make him more threatening. Mehidy Hasan has been very impressive in his short test career and the offspinner will be another key figure in this Bangladeshi bowling attack.
Recent Form
Bangladesh stunned Australia at home in their most recently played test series, winning the first match by 20 runs before going down in the second to draw the series 1-1. Prior to this, they lost a one-off test in India before going on to draw the series 1-1 in Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh Predicted Playing 11
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Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain
Team Form in Last Five Matches (most recent first)
South Africa: L L W L W
Bangladesh: L W W L L
South Africa vs Bangladesh Head to Head
Whether at home or away, South Africa have never lost a test match against Bangladesh. Out of the 10 matches played between these two sides in the past, 8 have been won by the Proteas with the remaining two having resulted in draws. In their only test encounter at the Senwes Park, the hosts won by an innings and 160 runs.
South Africa vs Bangladesh 1st Test Betting Odds
South Africa are the bookmakers' favorites to win the first test at very short odds of 1.22 with 1xbet and 1.20 with Bet365. Leaving aside their dismal recent test series in England, the Proteas have had an impressive run in this format of late with 7 wins in their past 13 matches. This includes series wins against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh on the other hand are huge underdogs at a high price of 12.5 with Betfair and 10 with Bet365. A draw is up at 9.2 and 8 respectively.
South Africa vs Bangladesh 1st Test Prediction
Bangladesh, in recent times, have offered stern challenge to their opponents back at home but the question is will they be able to compete with the same level of intensity in these foreign conditions - on pitches where the Asian teams have always struggled. Their batsmen will have to bat exceptionally well against the likes of Rabada and Morkel and their bowlers will have to be at their best at all times to make inroads into such a strong batting lineup. Although Bangladesh have a knack of causing upsets, overcoming South Africa on their turf will be an uphill task for them. So we're backing the hosts here to secure a comfortable win.
Final Verdict: Back South Africa to beat Bangladesh in the first test at 1.22 with 1xbet and 1.20 with Bet365.
Sep 28, 2017
13:30 IST / 8:00 GMT
Senwes Park - Potchefstroom, South Africa
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