South Africa’s one day specialist Ryan Mclaren said on Wednesday that the three-match one-day international series to start on Friday at Mirpur would be a tough assignment for them as they would have to face the spirited Tigers in their own den. The 32-year-old ambidextrous player, who joined late with his team only to play ODI series, however, has the belief that they will be victorious just like the Twenty20 series in which they clean swept hosts by 2-0.
‘Playing Bangladesh on their home turf is really tough,’ said the left handed batsman.
‘I think if we apply our ODI basics as consistently as we can, then we stand a good chance,’ said the man who bowls right-arm medium fast.
‘We will have to see how the wicket is being prepared when compared to the T20s. I can’t imagine it being very different,’ added the all-rounder.
Mclaren, who made his first-class debut as a promising all-rounder at the age of 20, made his name in English County and Indian Premier league but could not transform it into an International success and was unable to cement his place for Proteas.
The man from Cape Province who had to delay his international career due to a Kolpack deal with county team Kent had profound disappointment when he was omitted from the World Cup side earlier this year despite consistent performance of 2014 season.
The second highest wicket taker for Proteas in ODIs in 2014 has not played any international game since the World Cup and is confident to do well against Bangladesh whom he never faced in any format.
‘It is a fresh start. I have had a few months off to work on a couple of things in my game.
‘It is a new condition. This is the first series in Bangladesh. It will be a tough series. They have played a lot of good cricket against India.’
‘On a personal front, looking forward to playing for SA again,’ the African explained his personal goals regarding the series.
South Africa will play without their regular ODI captain AB de Villiers who is arguably the best batsman in world cricket currently, but Mclaren believes his team has the ability to overcome the absence.
‘You will never replace AB [de Villiers], he is a special player,’ Mclaren hailed his skipper.
‘But there are a couple of young faces to look forward to. Most of the guys have played in the WC, and I am sure the top six and seven can come together and score big totals,’ he hoped.
International Cricket Council has made some amendments to the rules of the shorter version games recently and Mclaren believes that will bring the parity of the game and adopting the rules will bring success to the teams.
‘From a bowling point of view, you don’t have to have catchers. You can put them in slightly different positions in the first ten overs,’ he indicated the withdrawal of mandatory catchers in first 10 overs of an innings.
‘No-ball’s a no-ball. In ODI cricket you can’t make those mistakes,’ the medium pacer welcomed the new law of free-hit after all sorts of no-ball in ODI.
-With New Age input