Lunch Bangladesh 91 for 3 (Tanzid 51*, Hridoy 23*, Rabada 3-16) vs South Africa
Kagiso Rabada's new-ball spell ripped through Bangladesh's top-order before an unbeaten 69-run fourth-wicket stand between Tanzid Hasan and Towhid Hridoy helped them recover on the first morning of the series against South Africa. Tanzid went on to his second Test half-century and began to find his touch against a South African attack that challenged him with seam movement, pace and bounce as they searched for quick wickets.
Bangladesh opted to bat first on a surface with a decent grass covering and flung their debutant opener, Mahfijul Islam, straight into the firing line. In his first Test and 20th first-class game, Mahfijul had to face Rabada, who delivered a standard full delivery outside off that could have been left alone. Instead, Mahifjul played at it and got a thick outside edge which flew to Marco Jansen at gully, to become the fourth debutant in the history of the game to be dismissed for a first ball duck.
Momimul Haque, who was carded at No. 7, came in at his more regular position at No. 3 and saw out the rest of the opening over before Tanzid faced a ball. Tanzid shouldered arms to the first one from Jansen and it hit him in the ribs. Welcome to it.
Recommended Read
Tanzid scored Bangladesh's first runs with a flick to midwicket as Jansen spent his first over working to find the right length. Rabada, on the other end, already had his. With speeds above 140kph, and movement off the seam, Mominul stood no chance against a delivery that moved away. He nicked off to register Bangladesh's second duck. Najmul Hossain Shanto was having none of the same. He drove Rabada through cover point for four off the first ball he faced to take the fight back to South Africa.
Rabada overpitched a touch in his next two overs but kept his spell going into a fifth over, when he sent down the ball of the morning. It lured Shanto into a drive and then swerved inbetween the bat-pad gap to take out his offstump and send it cartwheeling beyond the cordon. Bangladesh were 22 for 3 and Shanto may have been rethinking his decision at the toss.
Dane Paterson, who has not played a Test in almost two years, replaced Jansen after just three overs, and thought he had a wicket in his first. He beat Hridoy's inside edge and struck him on the pad but it seemed to have pitched outside leg and Temba Bavuma decided against reviewing it. Meanwhile, Jansen switched ends to the Golf Course End and caused problems for Tanzid, who scored two streaky boundaries but survived, which was crucial to Bangladesh's cause.
More convincing shots followed in the second hour of play. Tanzid drove Wiaan Mulder, brought on from Paterson's end, through the covers and then began to negotiate the bounce from Jansen better. Bangladesh's fifty came up in the 17th over, but the shot of the innings thus far was when Tanzid walked down the track to Paterson and sent him down the ground for four. His fifty came off Simon Harmer, who was brought on to bowl two overs before lunch.
In eight Tests so far, Tanzid has a century in Darwin, a fifty in Abu Dhabi and now a fifty in Johannesburg and Bangladesh will want him to stay there to make good on their decision to bat first.