CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh (AP) — Despite a recent poor performance, Bangladesh refuse to give up hope of securing a maiden Test victory against South Africa as they prepare for their second and final match which begins Tuesday.

After their historic 2-0 win against Pakistan, Bangladesh failed to continue their good work in a series against India and the first match against South Africa.

Bangladesh were favorites against South Africa, given the Proteas had not won in the subcontinent since 2014, but a poor batting performance led to a seven-wicket defeat in the first match.

“There is definitely one goal and that is to win the second Test,” said Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. “Our main goal is to play as a team. Whether bowling, batting or fielding, we will play as a team. We will do our best to win the match.

The victory kept South Africa unbeaten against Bangladesh with 13 wins and two draws in 15 Tests.

Bangladesh were dismissed for 106 runs in the first innings, which Taijul said determined the course of the match.

“As I said earlier, it is important to play as a unit. If we can strike two or three partnerships, if two or three batters can score a half-century or a century, then the objective will be achieved,” he said. “Everyone is working hard and is determined to overcome these at-bat issues. I hope we do well in this match.

Having ended their winning drought in the subcontinent, South Africa are now aiming to win the series and strengthen their chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final.

Stand-in captain Aiden Markram said the possibility of qualifying for the WTC final would not add pressure to his aspiration for series victory.

“I mean, I don’t think it really adds pressure for us. It’s just an exciting opportunity that could present itself,” Markram said. “So that’s almost how we try to look at it. We probably still need to win a lot of the remaining matches and we have five left before then. Five Test matches is a lot of cricket to play.

“So that’s pretty much where we are right now.” We hope to be able to proceed session by session, match by match. We hope to give ourselves a good chance. But I’m excited about what could move forward.

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