The third and final match promises excitement with the series all square after two one-sided games in Mirpur.
 
The match is scheduled for 3pm at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Wednesday.
 
The Tigers have their eyes set on a fourth successive one-day series win at home after a crushing seven-wicket win in the second match on Sunday.
 
Barring the setback in the last match, the Proteas showed their calibre through natural aggression for easy wins in the two Twenty20 internationals and the first ODI.
 
Both the matches saw meagre first-innings totals followed by routine chases. 
 
The teams will hope their batsmen can take advantage of the flatter surface in Chittagong that is expected to favour batsmen and spinners. The average score batting first is 260-plus. 
 
While it is the Bangladesh youngsters who are doing much of the work to plot success, the seniors need to step up to put the team in with a fighting chance.
 
Bangladesh blazed to the target of 163 in 27.4 overs in the last match with Souymya Sarkar’s sublime, unbeaten 88 off 79. 
 
The 22-year old is improving fast with three century partnerships in 15 matches under his belt but his opening partner Tamim Iqbal has gone quiet since the Pakistan series.
 
Star batsman Mahmudullah’s return from injury has added steel to the top order as he paired with Soumya for 135 runs with a fine 50.
 
But the Tigers middle-order has seemed shaky of late. 
 
Shakib Al Hasan more than often plays his part with the bat and the ball but he is missing an able partner in the middle-order with Mushfiqur Rahim or Sabbir Rahman suffering a slump in form.

Captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza has shown vision with his captaincy and follow his instincts.
 
But how he manages under the pressure of a series decider is yet to be seen as Bangladesh had sealed all their previous series before the final match.
 
His trump card teenage seamer Mustafizur Rahman has been a delight to watch while the inclusion of Rubel Hossain, who bagged two wickets in the second match, was crucial.
 
The aggression by seamers has been backed by their accuracy of the spinners. The hosts will again look to see the back of Proteas openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock early.
 
Amla has gone six games without a half-century – his longest fifty-less streak in ODIs in the last seven years. 
 
The visitors will be hoping their captain will end his lean run on Wednesday, at least to compensate for the absence of regular ODI captain AB de Villiers.
 
Only the in-form Faf du Plessis has passed 50 in the series so far for South Africa. 
 
Newcomer Kagiso Rabada has proven to be threat for Bangladesh. He followed up his record-breaking 6 for 16 on debut with two early wickets last Sunday that briefly raised hopes for South Africa.
 
The Tigers need to remain calm with the young Proteas fast bowler hitting different lengths all the while watching out for talismanic spinner Imran Tahir’s googly and off-spinner JP Duminy’s arm ball.
 
With confidence and aggression the mantra for both teams, they are likely to keep their playing eleven intact.
 
If Bangladesh opt for a more positive approach, they may bring an extra bowler into the fold.
 
For South Africa, however, it is a different story.

They do not have a spare batsman in the squad and the top seven need to avoid Sunday’s flop show. They are likely to keep faith in the same bowling unit.