Hasan Mahmud to Markram, 3 runs, pitched up by the bowler outside off, Markram drives it through cover, finds the gap and opens his account with three runs

Hasan Mahmud to Markram, no run, on a length outside off, hint of away movement as Markram plays inside the line

Hasan Mahmud to Markram, no run

Markram and de Zorzi are at the crease. Markram is on strike. Hasan Mahmud will open the attack

The players are out in the middle and we are ready for live action. The two SA openers are ready to roll.

Pitch report: The outfield looks lush and green. Captains have batted first most of the times at this venue. In Chattogram it bounces a little lesser than Dhaka, hence the bowlers need to adjust their lengths accordingly. There are a few cracks on the surface, but it looks an absolute belter. 380 is the average first innings total at this venue. The new ball will move around a bit, but it's batter friendly, reckons Ed Rainsford.

Teams:

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahidul Islam Ankon(w), Zakir Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana

South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne(w), Senuran Muthusamy, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson

Shanto: Would have batted first as well. It doesn't matter, looks a pretty good wicket.

Markram: We are going to bat first. It's a good wicket, hopefully it turns at some stage. Need a big score. For us it's the top six. Need to get big runs.

South Africa have won the toss and have opted to bat

09:00 Local Time, 03:00 GMT, 08:30 IST: South Africa dominated the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the series as Rabada took nine wickets in the match to topple Bangladesh. It’s a short 2-match Test series, hence Bangladesh need to bounce back with only one Test remaining in this series. Had it not been for that knock by Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh would have lost the previous Test by an even bigger margin. So they need their experienced players to take the onus and come up with an inspired performance over the next few days. The track in Chattogram might be different to the one in Dhaka, but will Bangladesh manage to turn things around against a strong team like South Africa? Only time has all the answers. Stay around for the the toss and teams..

Preview by Telford Vice

To this series' list of notable newsmakers, add Najmul Hossain Shanto. Unlike the other two, Shakib Al Hasan and Chandika Hathurusingha, Najmul is still on the scene. But maybe not for much longer in his current role.

Shakib withdrew from the squad six days before the start of the first Test in Mirpur, citing security concerns in the wake of his decision to join Sheikh Hasina's despised and deposed Awami League. Two days later, Hathurusinghe was sacked over his alleged assault of one of his players during last year's World Cup.

Najmul hasn't hit the headlines as hard, but his is a significant blow nonetheless. On Saturday the BCB and Najmul told Cricbuzz that Najmul didn't want to continue as captain after the series. The suits have yet to accept his decision.

A team already unsettled by the Shakib and Hathurusingha dramas will not be helped by Najmul's unwillingness to lead them. Especially not in the wake of South Africa's seven-wicket win in the first Test in Mirpur. What hurt most about the defeat was being dismissed for 106 inside the first two sessions of the match. And that after Najmul chose to bat first.

The South Africans have no such theatricality to countenance. So much so that the loss of Temba Bavuma, their captain and sturdiest batter, with an elbow injury hardly registered. Most of their plans came together well in Mirpur, and they will know that if they keep winning, they are on course for a place in the WTC final at Lord's in June.

Including the Chattogram Test, they have five matches left on their WTC schedule. They will play the others - two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan - at home in November and December, and they will expect and be expected to win them. At least four victories from the five games could be enough to get the South Africans to Lord's.

Moreover, Chattogram, with its grassier surface, looks like offering conditions a touch less subcontinental - and thus more like what the visitors are used to - than Mirpur. Not that South Africa needed that kind of advantage in the first Test. They boasted a keen balance between seam and spin, and showed the ability to bat aggressively in Mirpur. But they need to bat with more stability, particularly against spin.

Having arrived in Bangladesh as distinct underdogs, the South Africans have the chance to leave as series winners. Whether the Bangladeshis can put their internal challenges behind them and play the game in front of them will be key. But these are people who, as recently as August, rid themselves of a regime that had governed badly for most of the previous 28 years. Winning a Test is tough, but that's far tougher.

When: October 29 to November 2, 2024; 10am Local Time; 6am SAST; 9.30am IST

Where: Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram

What to expect: More grass on the pitch than in Mirpur. Five hot and humid days with no forecast for rain.

Team news:

Bangladesh

Will a perkier pitch make the home side opt for a second seamer in the elongated shape of 1.95-metre tall Nahid Rana? Uncapped Mahidul Ankon has come into the squad for Jaker Ali, who scored 58 in the second innings in Mirpur but was concussed while batting during training on Sunday. Hasan Murad could make his debut at the expense of Nayeem Hasan, who took no wickets in the first Test.

Possible XI: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud, Hasan Murad.

South Africa

Matthew Breetzke, who made a four-ball duck in his only innings on debut in Mirpur, could make way for Lungi Ngidi.

Possible XI: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Lungi Ngidi

What they said:

"We will play to win. The batters need to take responsibility and form partnerships." - Taijul Islam doesn't complicate matters.

"Hopefully we can start well again. It's great to be able to start on the front foot." - Aiden Markram hopes for more of the same as in Mirpur, where South Africa dismissed Bangladesh for 106 in the first innings.

Squads:

South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram(c), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton, Matthew Breetzke, Kyle Verreynne(w), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Senuran Muthusamy, Dewald Brevis

Bangladesh Squad: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das(w), Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Zakir Hasan, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Murad, Nahid Rana