South Africa gears up for Bangladesh challenge

DHAKA (Bangladesh)—South Africa will look to brush off an ugly selection controversy and continue their winning run as they go into the first Test against Bangladesh here on Friday.
A spat between coach Mickey Arthur and President of Cricket South Africa (CSA) Norman Arendse over selection policies marred the lead-up to the two-Test series which will be followed by three one-dayers.
Arthur was part of a selection panel that reportedly picked four black players for the Bangladesh tour, against CSA guidelines that sets a target of picking seven black players in a squad of 15.
Arendse wanted youngsters be given an opportunity against Bangladesh, while Arthur was after a full-strength squad which could adjust to sub-continental conditions ahead of the following tour of India. The row was resolved after CSA issued a statement in which Arendse apologised to the chief executive Gerald Majola for the public spat. However, the wrangling may have affected the players, most of whom appeared off-colour in a three-day warm-up game that ended a draw at Fatullah stadium on Tuesday. The South African seamers struggled to find their rhythm against a local Council XI which piled on 412-8 in reply to the visitors’ first innings score of 397.
Captain Graeme Smith however sought to draw positives from his team’s performance and said he hoped for a sporting wicket at Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur stadium, venue for the first Test.
“Both teams will have to work hard. I’ve heard that the pitch for the Test differs slightly from the one on which we played here,” he was quoted as saying in the media. South Africa’s recent run of form must also infuse confidence in the skipper as the Proteas go into the series on the back of wins in Test series against India, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies.
Bangladesh though have not had much to rejoice after their recent 2-0 drubbing in the Test series against New Zealand but a fine century by young Junaid Siddique in the warm-up game has lifted the spirits. The hosts, who stunned South Africa in a World Cup game last year, would also be hoping for the weather to clear after overnight rain and overcast conditions denied the team practice on Wednesday. The South Africans practised indoors.
The second Test begins in Chittagong on February 29. Bangladesh (from): Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Aftab Ahmed, Habibul Bashar, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Rafique, Mushfiqur Rahim, Rajin Saleh, Sajidul Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal.
South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (captain), Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Neil Mckenzie, Robin Peterson, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn.—Agencies