Before Johannesburg Test, Bavuma shows respect for Bangladesh and calls for ruthless cricket

Bangladesh's cricket team is going through a poor run. Since the historic nine-wicket win over Australia in Darwin last August, Bangladesh have not won again. Even so, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma is not taking Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz's side lightly.

Since the nine-wicket win in Darwin, Bangladesh have played seven matches across formats without a win, losing five and drawing two. They drew a match they were winning against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. They drew the Sylhet Test but lost the series against the West Indies 1-0. They fared poorly in Asian Games cricket in Japan and did not reach the final of the tri-series one-day tournament against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. Batting failure has been cited as the cause of the defeats.

Bangladesh have played comparatively better in Tests. With a 45.83 percent success rate, they are fifth in the 2025-27 Test Championship points table. Alongside the Darwin win over Australia, they whitewashed Pakistan at home. In eight matches, Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim's side have won three, lost three and drawn two.

Speaking at a press conference before the Johannesburg Test, Bavuma said Bangladesh are like any other team, will take the field with their strengths, and that South Africa respect them. He said Bangladesh are playing quite good cricket, have played well over the last two years, and that South Africa are not taking them lightly at all.

Bangladesh have won four straight Tests against Pakistan, including a 2-0 whitewash in Pakistan in the 2023-25 Test Championship cycle. Defending Test Championship champions South Africa are top of the 2025-27 cycle and top of the Test rankings, while Bangladesh are eighth.

Bavuma said their minimum target is to hold the position they are in, maintain their standard and focus on how to improve further, adding that they must play ruthlessly from the start.

Neither side has much rest. The Bangladesh-West Indies Test series ended on November 9 and the Australia-South Africa series ended on October 31. Bavuma said he was excited about the Bangladesh series, believed South Africa had done what they needed in preparation, and called the bowling attack Bangladesh are bringing exciting.

Bangladesh will not have pace bowler Nahid Rana on the South Africa tour, as in Australia. Taskin Ahmed will have to lead the pace attack, which also includes Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury and Syed Khaled Ahmed.

Hasan Mahmud took nine wickets in Darwin to be player of the match. He has five-wicket hauls against Afghanistan and the West Indies since, and took a hat-trick against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi as the third Bangladeshi bowler to do so.

Bavuma said South Africa respect Bangladesh's pace attack and their batters view it with respect. He said Bangladesh put Australia under pressure in Australia, that South Africa have played them in Bangladesh in conditions that were not pace-friendly, and that some bowlers here can be effective in these conditions and put their batters under pressure. South Africa prepared by facing their own bowlers, he said.

The first Test of the Bangladesh-South Africa series starts in Johannesburg on November 15. The second Test is at SuperSport Park in Centurion on November 23. The series is part of the 2025-27 Test Championship.