South Africa 496 for 3 dec (Elgar 199, Amla 137) and 247 for 6 dec (du Plessis 81, Bavuma 71) beat Bangladesh 320 (Mominul 77, Mahmudullah 66, Maharaj 3-92) and 90 (Kayes 32, Maharaj 4-25, Rabada 3-33) by 333 runs
Bangladesh lost seven wickets for 41 runs on the final morning in Potchefstroom, crashing to 90 all out in a whopping 333-run defeat to South Africa. The visitors lasted only 83 minutes in the morning session as Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj ran through the side.
Rabada, who took over the lead fast bowler’s role in the absence of Morne Morkel, struck three times in his first four overs of the day, while left-arm spinner Maharaj added three wickets to his tally to take his innings figures to 4 for 25 and complete a match haul of seven wickets.
This was the first time in ten years that Bangladesh were bowled out for a double-figure total in Tests, and the first time they were dismissed by South Africa for less than 100 runs in a Test.
Mushfiqur Rahim was the first to go, falling to Rabada for 16 off a delivery that bounced sharply, and Hashim Amla held on to a good catch over his head at slip. Rabada then got Mahmudullah to drag one on to his stumps, similar to his dismissal in the first innings off Morkel. Within 30 minutes, Bangladesh had lost their last two senior batsmen.
Liton Das, who had earned credit with his smart wicket-keeping on the fourth afternoon, left a Rabada inducker that slammed into his front pad, making it an easy lbw decision for the umpire. Five balls later, Maharaj trapped Sabbir Rahman leg-before as he attempted a sweep early in his innings.
The Bangladesh tail folded quickly after that. Maharaj removed Taskin Ahmed while Rabada’s throw found Shafiul Islam short at the striker’s end after the batsman had opted for an unnecessary third run. The match ended when Mustafizur lobbed a simple catch back to Maharaj.
Bangladesh began this Test by opting to bowl first on a decidedly flat pitch, a decision that surprised even South Africa captain Faf du Plessis. Faced with South Africa’s first-innings total of 496, they avoided a follow-on but in their second innings, the panic seemed to set in during the fourth evening, when Bangladesh lost their top three quickly after being set a target of 424. The second innings will be a big disappointment for the visitors and could be an ominous sign for the remainder of the series. The second match starts from October 6 in Bloemfontein. – Cricinfo
