(ESPN Cricinfo) – South Africa completed their first series win in the subcontinent in a decade, their first series sweep in Asia since 2008, and are up to fourth place on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
An innings-and-273-run victory, their largest of all time, over Bangladesh in Chattogram means South Africa needs to win at least three of their four home Tests this summer to maintain a chance to qualify for the WTC final.
It was as complete a performance as South Africa could have hoped for, with three centuries in the batting line-up and wickets for both seamers and spinners. They claimed 16 on the third day, with five wicket hauls for both their champion seamer Kagiso Rabada and first-choice left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. Spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy also earned a career-best with a second-innings 4 for 45.
For Bangladesh, batting remains a major concern. On a fairly placid pitch, they were on the brink at 48 for 8 in their first innings before Mominul Haque and Taijul Islam combined for a 103-run stand for the ninth-wicket. That was Bangladesh’s third-highest partnership against South Africa for any wicket. Mominul was dismissed 18 short of a 14th Test century.
There were no other scores above 30 in the first innings and none higher than Hasan Mahmud’s 38 in the second innings, where they also had no partnerships higher than 37. Shot selection was a particular concern, especially in picking up the right lengths to drive and knowing when to attack the spinners.
Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is a case in point. In the first innings, he was in two minds against a Rabada delivery that spat up off the surface. Shanto was unsure whether to drive or block and got an edge through to Kyle Verreynne. Four balls later, Mushfiqur Rahim handed the easiest of catches to Tony de Zorzi at square leg off Dane Paterson and was dismissed for a duck.
In the over after that, Rabada took two wickets in three balls: first Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who followed a ball that moved away and was caught behind, and then the debutant Mahidul Islam, who shouldered arms to a delivery that struck him on the knee roll. That gave Rabada his second five-for in as many Tests and second in the subcontinent.
Mominul took the fight to South Africa and scored ten runs off two deliveries from Maharaj to take Bangladesh over 50 and avoid being dismissed for one of their three lowest totals in Test cricket. But South Africa sensed an opportunity to run through them and appealed for almost anything. Maharaj reviewed two lbw shouts against Taijul.
The first was clipping the leg stump but upheld on the umpire’s call, and on the second the impact was outside off. He finally had a decision go his way when Langton Rusere gave Mominul out when he missed a sweep, but Mominul reviewed immediately, and UltraEdge showed an under-edge. Mominul was on 37 at the time. He brought up fifty of the 76th ball he faced off Maharaj, and South Africa thought they had him later in the over when he seemed to be caught at leg-slip. Replays showed the ball came off the flap of his front pad.
Rabada was brought back for a burst before lunch and immediately thought he had Mominul snaffled down the leg side but had overstepped. If South Africa has a concern after this match, it’s the number of no-balls they bowled. Rabada sent down nine and Paterson, four.
Muthusamy was given the ball for the first time five minutes before lunch and resumed after the break. He broke Mominul’s resistance with a ball that turned back into him and struck him on the front pad. Mominul was given out lbw and reviewed, but the ball appeared to rush past the outside edge without making contact, and the on-field decision was upheld. Maharaj ended the innings when Nahid Rana handed a catch back to him to give him a return of 2 for 57. At that point, South Africa opted not to bat again and enforced the follow-on with a view to wrapping things up quickly.
Bangladesh’s second dig did not go that much better. Shadman Islam was dropped off Wiaan Mulder in the second over, but four overs later, he nicked Paterson from a delivery that angled in. Rabada could have had Zakir Hasan in the next over, but Aiden Markram, at second slip, dived across first slip, and neither could complete the catch. Instead, it was Muthusamy who had his moment to shine.
His fifth ball turned away from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and took the edge, where Markram completed a good low catch at slip. Three balls later, Mominul picked out Muthusamy on the leg-side boundary, and Maharaj could not believe his luck. And then, Muthusamy also struck gold with the last ball before tea when Zakir advanced on him, missed, and was stumped. Bangladesh went to tea at 43 for 4.
Mushfiqur’s miserable match ended when he was out lbw off Muthusamy, confirmed on South Africa’s review, and Maharaj removed Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul as they both tried to manufacture run-scoring opportunities with big shots. As the light faded and the stand between Mahmud and Mahidul grew, South Africa may have thought they’d have to return to finish the job on the fourth morning.
But Mahidul, on debut, eventually gave it away. He was tempted by one of Maharaj’s tossed-up balls and hit it to Rabada at long-off. Maharaj and Muthusamy were in a race to see who would get five, and it was Maharaj who won as Nahid popped a catch to David Bedingham at silly mid-off to end the match inside three days.