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Liverpool have not yet won a trophy under manager Jurgen Klopp, but they have come very close.

Since the German coach took over at Anfield in October 2015, the Merseyside outfit have reached three finals, but lost every one of them.

The most recent was the Champions League showpiece against Real Madrid in Kiev.

Hopes were high after the team blasted away Manchester City and Roma in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

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However, it turned out to be a difficult night for the team as Mohamed Salah was injured half an hour into the contest.

After tussling with Sergio Ramos, the attacker dislocated his shoulder and was forced off the pitch in tears.

Loris Karius was also emotional after the final whistle due to his mistakes that led to goals from Karim Benzeman and Gareth Bale.

In the end, Liverpool lost 3-1, but their performances this season have given fans plenty of optimism.

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Manchester City ran away with the Premier League title, but the Reds managed to beat Pep Guardiola’s side three times over the course of the season – once in the league and twice in the Europe.

We asked you whether the Merseyside outfit could push for the title next season, and even though the club finished 25 points adrift of City in the table, plenty of Liverpool fans think that the club will take that next step.

Southampton dropped points at home again and remained in the Premier League relegation zone as they drew 1-1 against fellow strugglers Brighton and Hove Albion at St Mary’s on Wednesday night, and Saints fans were left unimpressed with their captain Steven Davis’ performance.

The south coast outfit’s skipper has been less of a regular fixture in the side in recent top flight matches with Mario Lemina preferred in the middle of the park, but he started ahead of the Gabon international in a central attacking midfield role against the Seagulls.

The hosts fell behind to a Glenn Murray penalty before Jack Stephens levelled things up in the second-half, but Davis struggled on and off the ball throughout, particularly struggling with his passing accuracy.

Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on his display, and while one said “today was the worst I’ve seen him”, another said “our captain was woeful”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Ah, the FA Cup. The best domestic Cup competition in the World. It still is right? Despite all the bashing it gets? Well, there’s certainly some eye-catching matches this weekend and Thomas Rooney of Footballtips.com has three essential bets.

Cardiff to beat Wigan

First up, I’m going for a bit of an upset on Saturday afternoon. Wigan are the FA Cup holders and they head to a Cardiff side that will be far too pre-occupied with their battle against relegation.

The Bluebirds (do we still call them that?) have done well to make it this far and picked up impressive FA Cup wins at Newcastle and Bolton. They would have enjoyed the decreased pressure that comes with playing away from home though.

At the Cardiff City Stadium, they will probably have a crowd that isn’t too enthusiastic and in all honesty, is getting a bit impatient after a run of just one win in the last five home games.

Are they REALLY up for the Cup? I don’t think so. Hence why backing Wigan – who have won their last seven on the road in the FA Cup – is the way to go.

Back Wigan to win inside 90 minutes @ 14/5 with Stan James

Man City to get Chelsea revenge

One of the best away performances you will see occurred when Chelsea travelled to the Ethiad Stadium a couple of weeks ago. They won 1-0 and thoroughly deserved the three points.

I have my doubts about whether they can replicate this though. I even doubt how highly Jose Mourinho values the FA Cup. Will the same motivation, preparation and determination go into this latest trip to Manchester? It’s doubtful.

Man City are then a team with a point to prove. They will want to come out all guns blazing and aside from wanting to progress in the FA Cup, there will be a feeling of revenge in the air.

Don’t forget they’ve had more rest too after their midweek game was postponed and I think it’s highly likely they will make less changes / rest less players than Chelsea.

I expect more goals this time too, with less emphasis on the importance of the match than last time.

Back Man City to win @ both teams to score @ 3/1 with William Hill

Luis Suarez to score first

It’s Arsenal v Liverpool on Sunday and I fully expect the Gunners to see their season continue to take a downward spiral. February is a famously bad month for them remember.

With one eye on Bayern Munich next week, Arsene Wenger might struggle to get his team selection correct. He doesn’t want burn out to occur (it has already to be fair) nor does he want to be knocked out of the FA Cup.

I expect a strange Emirates atmosphere and a positive start from the visitors. They are back in the title race, playing excellent football and hammered this weekend’s opponents 5-1 last weekend.

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Brendan Rodgers will play his best team, including former Arsenal target Luis Suarez who I’m backing to break the deadlock for his first goal since January.

Back Suarez to score first at 9/2 with bet365

Thomas Rooney is the editor of Footballtips.com, the best place for all your FA Cup tips.

Click below to get a 20% on Chelsea to beat City!

Martin O’Neill has demanded that his captain, Lee Cattermole, improves his discipline after a fifth red card as a Sunderland player.

The 24 year old’s moment of madness over-shadowed the Black Cats 2-0 away win over the MK Dons and places the former Wigan Athletic midfielder in danger of losing both his starting position and the armband.

O’Neill told ITV Football: “I have had a wee bit more time to reflect on it, and certainly Lee has as well – he’s got most of the month.

“He is obviously very, very sorry, but ‘sorry’ doesn’t help us now, not only over that particular game itself, which we could have lost, but the games coming up now.

“We will see, but again,  there are many qualities to him for one so young as a captain of the team. But you just can’t be stepping over the mark like that. He does so many good things for us, both as a player and a captain as well.

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“But you can’t be that rash, you can occasionally, but you have to learn, and more so than ever before now.”

Sri Lanka went into the game unchanged after Dunith Wellalage re-joined the team

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2025Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bowl, as the Asia Cup Super Fours stage kicked off in Dubai. Chasing sides have a 70% win record at this venue and that played a big part in Litton Das’ decision. He also added that he was a little “confused” by how the wicket would behave.Sri Lanka are a side that prefers to chase in general, and Charith Asalanka said as much though, with this being a used pitch, he’s not too bothered by batting first.Sri Lanka have gone with an unchanged XI with Dunith Wellalage rejoining the team after leaving for home following his father’s death. Bangladesh have made two changes with Mahedi Hasan and Shoriful Islam coming back into the side. Offspinner Mahedi’s return is presumably to combat Sri Lanka’s left-hander heavy batting line-up.Related

• Bereaved Dunith Wellalage rejoins SL squad in Dubai

• Tait confident Mustafizur Rahman will do better against Sri Lanka

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar during the pitch report noted that while the potential of dew means chasing might be easier, if it doesn’t come in and the pitch continues to get drier, that equation could change. In terms of ground dimensions, one square boundary is shorter than the other.Sri Lanka: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dunith Wellalage, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan ThusharaBangladesh: 1 Saif Hassan, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Shoriful Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.

The matches in February will be his last internationals on home soil

Alex Malcolm10-Jan-2024Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey expects David Warner will be available to play in three T20Is against West Indies in February despite the series clashing with the ILT20 tournament where he is contracted to captain Dubai Capitals.Warner has retired from Test and ODI cricket for Australia but is committed to playing in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US during June.Warner is planning to play in the ILT20 which begins on January 19, just after the home and away portion of the BBL has concluded with his side Sydney Thunder set to miss finals which avoids a schedule clash. The tournament runs until February 17 but the three T20Is against West Indies start on February 9 and finish on February 13.It was thought that Warner would miss those matches in order to play in the entire ILT20 despite still holding a Cricket Australia contract and that he would return for the following series against New Zealand in New Zealand that starts on February 21.Related

• Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

• Stoinis to play SA20 after BBL, says ODI omission makes 'complete sense'

• Warner has landed: Helicopter touches down at SCG ahead of BBL clash

• Hetmyer left out of West Indies white-ball squads for Australia tour

• Warner to fulfil BBL commitments with Thunder before heading to ILT20

But Bailey said Warner is set to be selected for the West Indies series and will be expected to play.”He’ll be part of those T20 matches at the back end of the summer and in New Zealand as well,” he said.Bailey confirmed that CA contracted players, which Warner will be until the end of June, are expected to play for Australia when selected and won’t be granted NOCs to play in other leagues at the same time.”I think that’s the same with all our Australian contracted players. If they’re going to be selected in a squad then they’re available,” Bailey said. “If they’re not then it depends on what sort of domestic cricket responsibilities they have. So I think [Warner] had flagged that as potentially one of the reasons why he has made the decision to retire from one-day cricket but we’re still really excited about what he can provide for that T20 team and hoping he can add one more major trophy to his cabinet.”Bailey and CA’s head of national teams Ben Oliver are charged with making decisions on which players are granted NOCs and have been consistent in their policy of treating each individual case differently.Australian T20I-only players who are not centrally contracted, like Matthew Wade and Tim David have been allowed to miss international series in recent times to fulfill franchise contracts that they would potentially lose if they played international cricket. The exceptions were made because they would not receive the same remuneration except for match fees from CA.David has previously skipped an opportunity to play T20Is for Australia in 2022 in order to play in the PSL while Wade was initially rested from Australia’s T20I series in South Africa last year so he could play a full season in the Hundred, although he was flown in at the last minute as cover after Glenn Maxwell was injured.Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis were both cleared to go to the ILT20 last year despite being CA-contracted players, but they were only set to miss a small number of domestic List A games for their state sides while they were awayAustralia coach Andrew McDonald said last month that Australia’s selectors had to be more flexible with their players given the schedule was so cramped.”Every application is different in terms of the circumstances with what cricket they’ve got coming up,” McDonald said. “It’s getting more cramped. It’s tough. It’s difficult. I think it comes down to each individual case. Where the player is at within their career. I think every every case should be considered individually and we go from there.”

Stoneman scores his first fifty of the season as survival tilt looms for hosts

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Apr-2023Play only began at 2:15pm as the rain threatened to wash away any momentum in this fixture. Yet somehow, not only did 60.4 overs get sent down, mostly in bright sunshine, but the game has moved along at pace. And perhaps most notable of all, Middlesex walked off for the first time this season with a degree of satisfaction.They are still 253 behind Nottinghamshire’s first-innings score, the loss of Pieter Malan at the start of what was to be Friday’s last over something of a kicker. But this was comfortably the newly promoted side’s best day of the season so far.If that sounds a bit hollow, it’s because it is, even if it’s true. Middlesex came into this match propping up Division One after losing lost both their opening matches. However, the manner in which they took Nottinghamshire’s five remaining wickets, for just 112, then followed up with their highest first- and second-wicket stands of the season – 50 and 61 – felt like a necessary response to those travails. Factor in season-high scores for all of the top three, and it is clear this was an important step towards feeling like they belong at this level.Mark Stoneman remains unbeaten on 60, driving imperiously, with scope for the middle-order core of stalwarts young and old to join him on a surface showing no demons yet.The county is by no means in disarray, with squad harmony reinforced by a few life-long bonds and the manner of last year’s promotion from Division Two. But sniff hard enough and you could convince yourself there was a whiff of a group of players feeling the pressure of being back in the top flight for the first time in six years.Ben Duckett sensed as much when he entered the evening session on day one. He did not hide his feelings that the early finish played into the hands of the home attack. The 28-year-old had gotten himself – and them into a position – where he was looking to “smack it” in the evening. “My idea was to potentially get 80 or 90 runs to finish the day on 200 or something,” he said, dripping with the confidence of a batter at the height of his red-ball powers.Related

• Somerset batters seal deserved draw led by Kasey Aldridge fifty

• Keaton Jennings' untimely tear hands Somerset a lifeline after run-spree

• Zak Crawley finds his zone for Kent to enliven impending stalemate

• Ben Duckett uses Middlesex to Test-drive his Lord's readiness

• James Anderson defies flat Taunton pitch to set Lancashire up

Though Duckett moved seamlessly to an 11th score of 150 or more, his frustration at yesterday’s early finish played out. That same attack with a night’s sleep restricted him to just 58 more from his overnight score of 119, from 81 deliveries before he attempted to deposit Ryan Higgins into the top of the Grandstand. A top edge was brilliantly taken by Martin Andersson, running and diving forward at fine leg. Considering Duckett has seven scores higher than this 177, four of them double-centuries, he and Notts could argue Middlesex got away with one there. Higgins finished the innings with his very next delivery, bowling Dane Patterson.The key interjection took over an hour to come and required the second new ball. Notts skipper Steven Mullaney was getting into his work, building on the 14 runs he made yesterday with a bit more vigour. He had done what Duckett failed to do in hitting the upper reaches of the stand away to the short side, when leg spinner Luke Hollman dropped one in short. On 46, Mullaney was undone by his opposite number Toby Roland-Jones, who nipped one into the right-hander – off the seam and down the slope – to trap him lbw.Two overs later, Duckett carved through extra cover for his 15th four to take him to 153 from 222 deliveries. Middlesex had decided to focus primarily on getting the England opener off strike even before the tail came into view. Now with it on display, there came a degree of urgency from the man himself to absorb as much as he could. Particularly after Ethan Bamber had found Liam Patterson-White’s edge through to John Simpson, then bowled Brett Hutton in his next over.That brought Stuart Broad to the crease, greeted by cheers – as much recognition of his 161 Test caps and 576 wickets as the entertaining nonsense he brings with the bat in this kind of situation. However, at 344 for 8, his role as Bonus Points Hawk required him to keep the nonsense to a minimum while Duckett hunted for extra runs.Thankfully, he didn’t – appealing for and getting a no-ball call on height after Bamber bumped him first ball, a mow over backward point that brought him a couple and the odd swish and miss. At the other end, Duckett entered into ramp mode. That Broad wasn’t able to play the lead role because of the loss of the final two wickets in successive deliveries was a shame.Nevertheless, the day ended with a textbook celebrappeal, with Broad trapping Malan in front with the final ball of the day to dampen the hosts’ mood ever so slightly. By then, Malan had at least made it to double figures after opening scores of 0, 4, 2 and 0.He had arrived following Sam Robson’s 17, before he was lbw to Lyndon James. There was a momentary fear Robson may bag his second duck in three weeks, before he calmly opened the face to guide his 22nd ball beyond point for a couple.Stoneman looked a class apart, particularly against Broad. One of his 10 boundaries so far even elicited a “shot!” from the 36-year-old seamer, who had seemingly closed off the midwicket region with two fielders cutting off that angle. The left-hander managed to split both, all along the floor, with a nicely timed clip.The eighth boundary – a pull in front of square from his 70th delivery – brought Stoneman a first half-century of the season. Given the way he has negotiated a wily seam attack of Broad, Hutton, Paterson and James so far, and moreover timed every attacking shot well, it’s not hard to envisage a 30th first-class hundred – and sixth for Middlesex – sometime on Saturday.The weather is not expected to play as big a part on day three, and with only 130 overs into this surface so far, this may be the best it is for batting. Whatever torment the last couple of weeks have seen, tomorrow could kickstart the survival tilt.

The total prize money has also gone up by 75% to $3.5 million

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022The ICC has doubled the prize money for the winners of the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup to $1.32 million. They have also increased the overall prize money pot by 75%, with eight teams getting a share of $3.5 million, a figure $1.5 million more than the 2017 edition which England had won.The runners-up will take home $600,000, which is $270,000 more than what second-placed India received in 2017. The two losing semi-finalists will receive $300,000 each, while the four teams who will fly back home after the group stage will be awarded a sum of $70,000 – up from the $30,000 prize from the previous edition.Related

• ICC CEO Allardice says discussions on 'to bridge the gap between women and men's prize money'

• Hosts NZ to kick off 2022 Women's ODI World Cup on March 4

• No change in Women's World Cup schedule despite Omicron threat

• Why the women's World Cup was postponed by 12 months

Every group stage win will also earn the teams a reward of $25,000 per victory from a total pot of $700,000.That makes it a rise in the prize money for consecutive editions of the Women’s ODI World Cup. The total prize money between the 2013 and the 2017 edition had seen a ten-fold increase when it went up from $200,000 to $2 million. England, the 2017 winners, got a reward of $660,000 after beating India by nine runs at Lord’s to claim their fourth title.Eight teams are participating at the World Cup this year – to run from March 4 to April 3 in New Zealand – with a total of 28 league games to be played in a round-robin format. Four sides will then move to the semi-finals to be played in Wellington and Christchurch, followed by the final in Christchurch.

Allrounder set to open the batting for the Melbourne Stars again this season

Alex Malcolm16-Dec-2019Allrounder Marcus Stoinis is committed to opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League again this season, despite the fact that the middle order appears his best avenue back into the Australian T20 side.Stoinis was left out of Australia’s T20 squad in the two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in October and November. The selectors opted not to pick a seam-bowling allrounder in the squad, using Ashton Agar at No.7 as a spin-bowling allrounder.The return of David Warner also changed the dynamic in the top order. Stoinis had opened the batting in Australia’s previous two T20 internationals in India in February after an outstanding BBL last season, when he opened for the Stars and made 533 runs at 53.30 with a strike rate of 130.63, including four half-centuries.The combination of Warner and Aaron Finch looks a lock for Australia at the 2020 T20 World Cup.But Stoinis is set to open again for the Stars alongside Nic Maddinson after the pair faced the new ball in the Stars’ first practice match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Monday.He said doing what’s best for the Stars is his first priority.”I can’t see myself changing too much from there just because you want to do right by your franchise,” Stoinis said. “We want to win games and I want to do what’s best for the team and then you just go from there I guess.”Stoinis said the reasons why he was omitted from the T20 squad had been communicated to him clearly by chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. He hasn’t had a discussion with either Hohns or coach Justin Langer about his place in the pecking order for the T20 World Cup next year but is confident he can play any role required.”No, I haven’t spoken to them about it,” Stoinis said. “I’m sure I’ll get a call from JL [Langer] or someone to speak about that side of things maybe. But for me, look, I’ve batted (Nos.) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, I’ve bowled in the powerplay, I’ve bowled at the death, I’ve bowled in the middle, I’ve fielded in the slips, I’ve fielded on the boundary, I’ve fielded at cover. Something I pride myself on is being adaptable. I’ve played a lot of cricket in multiple positions so I should be okay.”It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Stoinis could get a call about the Test side given the injury to Josh Hazlewood in Perth against New Zealand. Australia played an allrounder in the last Ashes Test at The Oval and Langer floated the idea of playing five bowlers on Boxing Day if the surface was flat.Stoinis was called up to the Test squad during his stunning run of form in the BBL last year but was eventually named 12th man for the Canberra Test against Sri Lanka.His Sheffield Shield form has been very consistent this season but is missing some big scores. He’s made four half-centuries in nine innings completed innings (the 10th was abandoned at the MCG due to a dangerous pitch) with a highest score of 79 when he was run out against South Australia. He also has 12 wickets at 27.25 having taken wickets in all five games that he bowled in.”Test cricket is still my goal,” Stoinis said. “That’s where I want to play. I’ve played a lot of Shield cricket this year, the most I’ve played for 3-4 seasons and it’s good to remember how to block the ball and spend some time in the middle.”For now, he’s fully focussed on the Stars. The disappointment of last year’s final is a distant memory with a new coach and some new signings. Stoinis said the transition of former Stars captain David Hussey into the head coaching job has been seamless.”I think the key thing for Huss is he hasn’t brought too much new stuff,” Stoinis said. “He was around the group for so long as a player, he was captain, he knows Glenn [Maxwell] so well, he knows what makes the boys tick. He hasn’t tried to rattle the cage or anything like that, he’s just tried to create a stable environment, super relaxed, take any pressure off the players and let us perform.”ALSO READ: How the Melbourne Stars stack up for BBL 2019-20The Stars lost their opening practice match after an assault from Renegades pair Sam Harper and Shaun Marsh on a flat pitch at the Junction. But Dale Steyn’s arrival on Tuesday night from South Africa, along with the addition of Nathan Coulter-Nile brings a fresh new dynamic to the attack that already features two high-class legspinners in Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane.”It’s a big change for us I reckon,” Stoinis said. “We’ve got some real ball speed, [Daniel] Worrall is fresh as well so he bowls nice and quick. And that will complement our spinners as well. I think with the big square boundaries at the MCG and our good spinners and good quicks, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

A battle between the two teams used to be uneven before 2015, but Bangladesh have realised it is not an impossible task to beat South Africa at home

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-20171:27

Moonda: Batting selection dilemma for SA

Big Picture

Aiden Markram’s Test debut, Ottis Gibson’s first match as South Africa coach, Bangladesh’s first Test in South Africa in nine years and the first at Senwes Park since 2002. All of these milestones will fade quickly on Thursday when arguably the best team in home conditions take on talented yet unpredictable visitors.Markram and Gibson are at the start of a busy home season. Gibson, of course, will look to renew his understanding of South Africa cricket, having played for Border, Gauteng and Griqualand West when he used to be a more-than-capable medium-pacer. He has the reliable Faf du Plessis at his side, who has his hands full as captain and one of the batting mainstays.Du Plessis will have to handle a bowling attack that has two high-class performers – Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada – but also a number of youngsters and newcomers who have to be given confidence. He also has a chance to define his captaincy and set the tone for the home season, either by bolstering the batting with the selection of Theunis de Bruyn or selecting pace-bowling allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo.Some may feel that Bangladesh are the ideal visitors to try new strategies against, but they are far from pushovers. Mentally, this team is different from the ones that traveled to South Africa in 2002 and 2008. Where previous Bangladesh teams wanted to avoid heavy defeats, the current set of players are thinking of ways to beat their opponents. Bangladesh know how different that mental switch can be.The task at hand for seniors Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and coach Chandika Hathurusingha is immense. Bangladesh are without their lynchpin Shakib Al Hasan who was granted rest by the Bangladesh board earlier this month, which means two players have to replace him.Luckily for Bangladesh, their younger players, like Sabbir Rahman and Mustafizur Rahman, are hungry performers. There is also competition for the second opener’s slot: Soumya Sarkar and Imrul Kayes will be aware that Liton Das is breathing down their neck, so a slip-up in South Africa could be critical for their future.A battle between the two teams used to be uneven until the 2015 ODI series but since then, Bangladesh have realised that beating South Africa, even in their home conditions, is not an impossible task.

Form guide

Bangladesh LWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)South Africa LLWLD

In the spotlight

Of the five pace bowlers in the Bangladesh squad, Mustafizur Rahman is the only automatic choice in the XI. The mystery around him has worn off but even on home pitches, that serve the spinners heavily, his short bursts have become crucial. He will enjoy conditions in South Africa if he can be accurate.Dean Elgar needs another 85 runs to topple Cheteshwar Pujara as the leading run-getter in Tests in 2017. A good start from the experienced opener would immediately put Bangladesh’s young pace attack on the back foot.

Team news

With Shakib rested, Bangladesh will have to pick four specialist bowlers. Taskin Ahmed’s extra pace and Subashis Roy’s relatively accurate seam-bowling could be preferred ahead of Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain. Soumya Sarkar’s shoulder niggle means he is not certain to play – a decision on his inclusion will be taken on the morning of the game.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Subashis Roy, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.South Africa’s choice is between an extra batsman in Theunis de Bruyn or a seam-bowling option in Andile Phehlukwayo. Aiden Markram will make his international debut, replacing Heino Kuhn. Despite being passed fit, Wayne Parnell is unlikely to play.South Africa (probable): 1 Dean Elgar, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Theunis de Bruyn/ Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Duanne Olivier

Pitch and conditions

The pitch looks a bit dry but the home side are hoping for good carry off the track, something Bangladesh are also expecting. While there is a forecast for rain on the last two days of the Test, the weather should mostly be dry.

Stats and trivia

• This is only the second Test to be held at Senwes Park after it hosted the South Africa-Bangladesh game in 2002.
• Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Imrul Kayes are the only Bangladesh players in the current squad to have played a Test in South Africa, having toured in 2008.

Quotes

“The last two years, their cricket has really improved. They are as tough as any team to play in their own conditions so their standard is on the up. This will be a real opportunity for them to show they can perform outside of their own country.”
“We have brought five fast bowlers and three of them will play in the first Test. I think they know all too well that if they don’t perform, there are others to take their place so that should be motivation enough.”