The first Test match between Bangladesh and South Africa commenced in Dhaka, marking the resumption of international cricket in the country after a period of political unrest. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto elected to bat first, citing the dry wicket conditions that could prove challenging for batting in the fourth innings.
South Africa’s opening bowlers, Kagiso Rabada and Wiaan Mulder, applied early pressure on the Bangladesh openers. Rabada drew first blood, trapping Shadman Islam leg before wicket for a duck in the first over. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque steadied the innings, but Mulder struck again in the third over, removing Joy for 10.
Haque, the former Bangladesh captain, showed his class with a well-crafted 25, including a boundary off Mulder. However, he was dismissed by Rabada in the 10th over, leaving Bangladesh at 39/3.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das attempted to rebuild the innings, but both fell in quick succession to Mulder and Rabada, respectively. Bangladesh were reeling at 60/5, with the South African bowlers dominating the proceedings.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali, making his Test debut, showed some resistance, adding 30 runs for the sixth wicket. However, Mulder returned to dismiss Miraz for 22, and Ali followed soon after, caught behind off Rabada for 15.
Bangladesh’s innings eventually folded for 127, with Rabada and Mulder sharing seven wickets between them. South Africa’s bowlers had exploited the conditions superbly, extracting bounce and movement from the pitch.
In response, South Africa’s openers, Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi, negotiated the Bangladesh bowlers cautiously. They reached stumps on day one with the score at 15/0, trailing Bangladesh by 112 runs.
The match is evenly poised heading into day two, with South Africa needing to build a substantial lead to put pressure on Bangladesh. The home side, on the other hand, will be looking to strike early and restrict South Africa’s scoring.
