After the victory in the ODI series, Bangladesh had come to the Test series as the favourites because the hosts had lost most of their major players due to a Twenty20 League Tournament in India while Bangladesh had surfaced as a very strong unit. They fought well in the first Test until the debacle in the fourth innings – but in the second Test – they had lost their way.
Utter demolition
Keshav Maharaj completes his second seven-wicket haul of the series as South Africa bowl out Bangladesh for 80 and complete a 2-0 whitewash.
#SAvBAN | #WTC23 pic.twitter.com/Xxrh6uG2tW
— ICC (@ICC) April 11, 2022
On Day 1, South Africa got off to another good start – after winning the toss and electing to bat first – by hurrying to 107 for 1 at lunch after Mehidy Hasan Miraz became the first spinner in 87 years to open the bowling in the first innings in South Africa
Sarel Erwee was the only wicket to fall in the first session when he was dismissed by Khaled’s away going delivery in the 12th over. Erwee, who made 24, survived a close call in the third over of the morning when Khaled appealed for lbw. The umpire turned it down, and Mominul Haque was late at taking the review; replays showed red on all three counts.
Elgar, meanwhile, found the boundaries with ease, pulling and driving comfortably. He reached his half-century off 66 balls, his third fifty in the Test series.
South Africa started well after the lunch break, too, with Elgar and Petersen adding 82 runs for the second wicket. But the captain fell to a Taijul delivery that slid through after the bowler had spent much of the day trying to draw him on to the front foot.
A 27-minute rain break further slowed down the side’s scoring rate after that, before Petersen became Taijul’s second victim after having looked in good touch before the delay. Petersen made 64 before dancing down the track, missing the ball, and being struck on his pad. The umpire had denied the appeal as it looked to be going down leg, but replays showed that the ball would go on to hit leg stump.
Keshav Maharaj – just wow! #SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/7U90CVbBlB
— ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA) April 11, 2022
Bangladesh then broke the Rickelton-Bavuma partnership, which had kept South Africa going for 31 overs, to come back in the contest.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who was brought in to replace the injured Taskin Ahmed, was the best bowler of the day with three wickets, while Khaled Ahmed picked up two. Both of them picked up one wicket each in the last few minutes of play, which should give Bangladesh a boost going into the second day.
Taijul broke the crucial 83-run fourth-wicket partnership between Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton, the biggest stand of the day. He had Rickelton caught at slip by Yasir Ali after the batter had gloved the ball in his attempt at a reverse sweep. Rickelton looked distraught to miss out on his maiden Test fifty, as he fell on 42.
Shortly after the new ball was taken, Khaled removed Bavuma when he edged the ball as it bounced more than expected, and Najmul Hossain Shanto completed the catch at first slip. Bavuma once again failed to build on a good start, falling for 67 – his 19th Test fifty, to go with just one century – as he was undone by great delivery.
South Africa, who started Day 2 on 278 for 5 and were perhaps looking at a score of around 350, got many more thanks to Maharaj’s effervescence.
Keshav Maharaj – Becomes First Ever South African spinner in the history to take 150 wickets in Test Cricket. pic.twitter.com/QG7S8OPnIY
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) April 11, 2022
Maharaj started off by attacking Ebadot Hossain, before quickly dispatching Taijul for 12 in his first over, including a six over midwicket. He hit both the main spinner, Taijul and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, with disdain, and also timed the ball well against pace. He struck three sixes in all, the third taking him to a run-a-ball fifty.
He really turned it on after lunch, when he hit a series of pulls and drives between cover and point off the back foot like a proper No. 3 might have. Maharaj got into the 80s with a streaky boundary, before Taijul got him for 84 when he attempted an ungainly slog. It was a rare shot from the No. 8, who had batted with great composure for most of his innings.
Maharaj added 80 for the seventh wicket with Mulder, who looked to bat within himself for much of his 33 off 77 balls. Maharaj also added 38 runs for the eighth wicket with Simon Harmer, who then added 35 for the ninth wicket with Williams.
Keshav Maharaj in this 2-Test match Series against Bangladesh:-
•19(40), 5(5), 84(95).
•65/0, 32/7, 57/2, 40/7What a Amazing series for Keshav Maharaj. He took 16 wickets and scored runs as well in this test series. #SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/5x8FH5vGb7
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) April 11, 2022
Wiaan Mulder and Duanne Olivier put South Africa in full control of the second Test, being played in Gqeberha, as they reduced Bangladesh to 139 for 5 in their first innings by stumps on the second day. Mulder removed three left-hand batters, trapping them lbw in a similar fashion, while Olivier took the first and the fifth wickets to fall.
outh Africa’s bowling in the late afternoon session made it their day all the way. Olivier had Mahmudul Hasan Joy caught at first slip for a duck in the first over, but Bangladesh got over this early blow with a flurry of boundaries. Tamim Iqbal kicked things off with a booming straight drive before Najmul Hossain Shanto got into the act with one past point. Tamim slammed Lizaad Williams for five more fours as the pair added 79 runs for the second wicket.
Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer in the fourth innings of the two #SAvBAN Test matches
pic.twitter.com/GjWJbvRnq0
— SuperSport
(@SuperSportTV) April 11, 2022
Tamim, however, became Mulder’s first victim when the quick got one to cut back into him and Tamim, who has a tendency of falling over to incoming deliveries on the angle, was defeated for 47, in his first Test innings in nearly a year. Tamim didn’t take the review, but Najmul did in Mulder’s next over when a banged-in inducker struck him in front and was given out. It was hitting the middle stump, which meant the batter was gone for 33.
Mominul Haque continued his poor run in the Test series, when he was also trapped by Mulder for 6, and when Olivier removed Litton Das with another incoming delivery, it completed four consecutive dismissals with startling similarities.
Mushfiqur Rahim, who has scored 30 in 55 balls, and Yasir Ali, on 8, saw out the day.
On Day 4, Maharaj took 7 for 40 in the fourth innings to skittle Bangladesh for a meagre 80, thus becoming the first bowler in Test history to take seven-wicket hauls in consecutive fourth innings. He had returned figures of 7 for 32 when Bangladesh were rolled over for 53 in the fourth innings of the first Test, in Durban. In the process, Maharaj also completed 150 wickets in Test cricket. Simon Harmer took three wickets in this innings, as he did in the fourth innings of the previous Test, as South Africa once again embarrassed Bangladesh by just using two bowlers.
South Africa bowled well but it was not unplayable, rather, @BCBtigers batting exhibition was spineless. Excuses would crop up and the blame game would dominate – but no one would accept their own mistakes. Mominul Haque would be facing the heat. He failed to lead from the front pic.twitter.com/OM82sjZfSQ
— Faisal Caesar (@faisalyorker1) April 11, 2022
Mushfiqur Rahim was the first to depart, edging Maharaj to Dean Elgar at slips in the second over of the day. Mominul Haque followed in Maharaj’s next over, top-edging a sweep that he couldn’t quite reach, with Ryan Rickelton completing an easy catch at square leg. Yasir Ali then top-edged Harmer in his attempted slog sweep, giving Lizaad Williams, the only fielder on the leg-side boundary, an easy catch. By the fifth over of the morning, Bangladesh had slipped to 44 for 6.
Litton Das struck five fours in his 27 off 33 balls before Maharaj lured him out of the crease. Litton missed the ball by a foot and Kyle Verreynne completed an easy stumping. Maharaj then had Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind and Khaled Ahmed lbw, before Harmer ended Bangladesh’s misery.
Indeed, it was a misery, where the batters let the team down yet again!
The impact of Mominul, though was improving since the New Zealand tour, would come under fire and he could have justified himself with the bat when the team needed him the most. Sadly, he failed to lead from the front and kept on cutting a sorry figure.
Neither the experienced players exhibited any responsibilities as the tour ended as a nightmare.
Note: Input from ESPNcricinfo