It was a day where South Africa extended their dominance over Bangladesh. Kyle Verreynne racked up his second Test hundred while lower-order contributions propelled them to get a sizeable lead before the bowlers pegged Bangladesh back with early breakthroughs.
Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder batted solidly for a large part of the first session to extend South Africa’s lead. They added 119 runs for the 7th wicket which put the Proteas in control of the game.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 106 on the first day and even reduced the Proteas to 108/6 which is when Verreynne and Mulder got together. Both batters struck boundaries regularly and rotated strike well but there were a couple of chances that Bangladesh missed.
It was in the 24th over of the day that Bangladesh got their first wicket of the day. Hasan Mahmud had Mulder edging to the lone slip before he knocked over Keshav Maharaj off the very next ball to take two in two.
Dane Piedt joined Verreynne in the middle and stitched another significant partnership. They added 66 runs for the 9th wicket and helped South Africa inch closer to the 200-lead mark. In the process, Verreynne notched up his second Test ton. It was the first-ever ton by a South Africa wicket-keeper batter in Bangladesh.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz broke the stand and had Piedt (32) LBW before getting Verreynne stumped a couple of overs later to bring South Africa’s innings to an end. The visitors finished with a 202-run lead.
Rabada strikes earlier before Bangladesh offer some resistance
Bangladesh were under pressure and Kagiso Rabada struck early. He took two wickets in his second over. The ace Proteas speedster who reached the 300-wicket landmark on Day 1 had Shadman Islam caught at short-leg before Mominul Haque nicked one to third slip three balls later.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy who top-scored in the first innings with 30 and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto tried to resurrect the innings. The duo added 55 runs for the third wicket before Maharaj caught Shanto plumb in front.
Mushfiqur Rahim walked out and batted with positive intent. He hit three boundaries and raced away to 31 off 26 balls. The veteran completed 6000 runs in Test cricket and became the first Bangladesh batter to do so.
On the other hand, Mahmudul looked solid at the other end. He was dropped by Maharaj who shelled a tough return catch. The 23-year-old opener survived another close call on what eventually was the final ball of the day. He missed a big slog but some extra bounce from Piedt meant Verreynne had to collect it near his chest before breaking the stumps. However, Mahmudul just managed to get back as the third umpire took several views to make his decision.
The umpires deemed the light was not good enough to continue and called stumps on Day 2. Bangladesh are still 101 runs behind and will need a couple of spectacular knocks if they want to remain alive in this Test. South Africa will be looking to continue the good work and possibly, wrap up proceedings on the third day.
BRIEF SCORES: Bangladesh 106 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 30, Wiaan Mulder 3/22, Kagiso Rabada 3/26, Keshav Maharaj 3/34) & 101/3 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 38*, Mushfiqur Rahim 31*, Kagiso Rabada 2/10) trail South Africa 308 allout (Kyle Verreynne 114, Wiaan Mulder 54, Taijul Islam 5/122, Hasan Mahmud 3/66) by 101 runs.
