'Don't want to give them a sniff'

South Africa's players are intent on finishing off Bangladesh today in the second T20I and eager to maintain a clean sheet on the Tigers' tour of the country by sweeping the two-match series 2-0 as they had done in the Tests and ODIs.

Farhaan Behardien was instrumental in getting the South Africans to this point in the series as he hit a 17-ball 36 in the first match at Bloemfontein after coming in at number six in the midst of a fightback from Bangladesh.

"One more game of the tour left for Bangladesh and we are not looking to take our foot off the throat there," said Behardien after the team's practice at Senwes Park yesterday. "We played a good game the other night in Bloemfontein and tomorrow should be no different.

"We play to win every game. We want to have a clean sweep and not give Bangladesh a sniff or any joy before they travel back. It is important to end this mini season on a high before the India series."

Bangladesh's fightback in the first game was down to the spinners Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah Riyad tightening things up after a blistering half-century stand between AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock. With their success, spin may be a strategy that the Tigers will use today to get the joy that Behardien wants to deny them.

"We had nine overs of off-spin in the first 13. I've been working really hard with our batting coach Neil McKenzie and spin bowling coach Claude Henderson, who has really helped with our game plans. I think the guys have handled it well; we have some real experience at the top with AB and Hashim [Amla], JP [Duminy] and David Miller, they have played hundreds of T20 games, so whatever the Bangladesh side throw at us in regards to spin, I am sure we will have it covered tomorrow [Sunday]."

Spin being Bangladesh's strength, Behardien talked about their strength in pace bowling. Even with stalwarts like Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel missing, Behardien identified the fast bowling unit as the difference maker in Thursday's 20-run win. While Bangladesh's 10 overs of pace cost 108 runs for one wicket, South Africa's 16 overs of fast bowling cost just 129 runs and accounted for eight wickets.

"Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, Dane Paterson are great exponents of death bowling. They performed really well the other night and that was the difference. Our death hitting and their death hitting were not as good but that is a tribute to our fast bowling unit. They are working really hard with our coach [Ottis Gibson], whose specialty is bowling, and together with Charl Langeveldt that is going to be an important factor tomorrow [Sunday]."