New Proteas coach Gibson warns his players not to take Bangladesh lightly

New South Africa senior men's national team head coach Ottis Gibson has warned his players not to take Bangladesh for granted when they host the visitors in a two-match Test series in Potchefstroom and in Bloemfontein later this month.

The first Test will get underway at Senwes Park‚ Potchefstroom‚ on September 28 while the Mangaung Oval‚ Bloemfontein‚ will host the second Test from October 6.

The former England bowling coach‚ who was presented to the media in Sandton on Tuesday‚ said Bangladesh are growing by leaps and bounds as a Test side and they have also posted impressive wins over more fancied opponents recently.

“I don’t want us to go to the series against Bangladesh with the mentality of taking them for granted‚" Gidbson said on Tuesday.

"We saw how Bangladesh played against Australia.

"I was in Bangladesh with England last year and they won a Test match.

"They are a confident international Test team and we can’t go there with a mentality of being in the comfort zone.

"They are going to be tough.

"They have Courtney Walsh on their technical staff as the bowling coach and their head coach is doing a fantastic job‚ which makes them a tough apposition.”

Most of the Proteas players are in the four-day Sunfoil Series which started on Tuesday morning around country and Gibson said it was important for them to get some action ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh.

“We need to make sure that we are ready for that challenge and that’s why I said to CSA we need to get everybody playing on the domestic front.

"We have not played Test match since August in England and you don’t want to go to that match against Bangladesh on the back of no cricket.”

Gibson will meet with franchise coaches in the coming weeks and then assess the players on the fringes of the national team.

“The intention over the next couple of weeks is to meet all the head coaches at different franchises and get a feel of which players we should be looking at.

"We have to make sure that those players are in good programs regarding their development and so on.

"What I have also said to CSA is that as we go around the country‚ the coach of the local franchise is welcomed to join us in the preparation days and see why we do what we do.

"The invitation will go out to them because franchise coaches are the ones who prepare players for the national team and it will also help the players to relax because the environment will also be new to them.”

- TimesLIVE