Morkel: We will pick up the pace in Dhaka

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The South Africa fast bowlers are determined to step it up in the second Test match against Bangladesh starting in Mirpur on Thursday, after the first Test in Chittagong ended in a tame draw thanks to rain.

Morne Morkel expressed the attack’s willingness to go to all lengths to take the 20 wickets required for victory, and believes they have learned some lessons from the 117 overs they bowled to the Bangladeshi batsmen in Chittagong.  

The pace spearhead hinted at the possibility of implementing fresh tactics after an assessment of their performance last week, and will be playing around with 'different angles' as a means to keep the batsmen guessing.

Morkel said: "It’s one thing that we have discussed in our debrief, especially with the heat and humidity, we can't afford to waste any deliveries.

"We need to be clearer and on the money with our plans to certain batsmen; make them play more, go for three dismissals instead of one. I enjoy bowling on the sub-continent because I don't get as much bounce as I do in South Africa so it brings me into play.

"It’s time for us to step it up and show why we are the number one team in the world."

Morkel said of the first Test’s performance: "We got some overs under our belt. We haven't played as a Test unit for a while and we didn't really bowl overs before the first Test as a bowling unit, it was nice to get that in Chittagong.

"We are quite excited, hopefully the weather will be good and the conditions will be fair."

The squad trained in bright sunshine on Tuesday morning, and were pleased to have their first full open net and fielding session in four days. The Sher-e Bangla National Cricket Stadium pitch also received its first dose of the dry conditions, and still remains a mystery after being undercover for the last few days.

Morkel added: "That is one thing that we can't control, the pitch and the way they prepare it. For us it’s important to be mentally strong for whatever conditions we are faced with.

"We are ready for that; we won't be making any excuses, one of the values of the team is that we stick together at all times. The pitch is a small factor for us and we will briefly discuss it, but for us it’s most important to control what we can control and to do that well."

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