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Mashrafe wary of SA's spin threat

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said that he is wary about South Africa's spin threat, and is hoping that his batsmen and spinners can step up to the challenge in the ODIs

Mashrafe Mortaza has backed Shakib Al Hasan to come good against South Africa  •  Associated Press

Mashrafe Mortaza has backed Shakib Al Hasan to come good against South Africa  •  Associated Press

Bangladesh had to make do with shorter space for their warm-up session ahead of the first ODI against South Africa, as most of the ground was under covers amid leaden skies on Thursday.
Soon, the players broke into two teams and played football before heading to the indoor nets of the Shere Bangla National Stadium. They stayed there for the next couple of hours as Dhaka experienced one heavy shower after another.
More rain has been forecast for Friday, but that didn't stop Mashrafe Mortaza from stating what he expects from his team in the first ODI against South Africa.
"We have to play well by adjusting to the wicket," Mashrafe said. "We have to be a step ahead of South Africa in every department. This is how you win against such a team. We had gone into a habit of winning matches since the World Cup. Everyone wants to win and this is our job.
"But by focusing on the results too much, we forget the process with which we got the wins. We should go back to the basics, and to the mentality through which we turned things around since the World Cup."
Much of the talk ahead of the ODI series has centered around the pitch, especially after it offered considerable turn in the two T20s. While Mashrafe admitted that there was 'confusion' about the pitch, he said that the hosts would be better off if they don't ponder too much about the wicket.
"There is some confusion about the wicket. By that I mean, our batsmen and bowlers have been doing well on true wickets since the World Cup. But we also have think about their pace attack," he said.
"I think it is better not to think too much about the wicket. We have to keep our processes right, whoever is bowling at us. We have handled top bowlers in the recent past. Maybe we haven't played in such wickets for a while, which is why have struggled a bit."
Bangladesh had struggled to come to terms with spin in the T20s, with left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso, offspinner JP Duminy and debutant legspinner Eddie Leie taking nine wickets between them. South Africa's spin attack will be further bolstered by Imran Tahir, who was the leading wicket taker in the World T20 in Bangladesh last year with 12 scalps at 10.91.
"Imran Tahir has been bowling well for some time now. South Africa has been using him as a wicket-taking option. We have plans to encounter him although we did struggle against spin in the last two matches," Mashrafe said.
Mashrafe, though, backed Shakib Al Hasan, Arafat Sunny and Jubair Hossain to perform better than their opposite numbers. "If you look at his record, Shakib is one of the best bowlers in the world. Imran Tahir and their other spinners are doing well, and will be confident following the T20 series but I still expect our spinners to be a step above their spinners."
Mashrafe also stressed on the importance of Mahmudullah's return, after the batsman missed the India series due to injury. "Mahmudullah is a key player who did very well for us at the World Cup," Mashrafe said. "Unfortunately he got injured, so his return is quite important to us. He hadn't played in the last month or so due to injury. He will need time to give his best but I am sure he will try the hardest."

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84