A defiant 138-run stand between Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali helped Bangladesh fight back on day three of the first Test against South Africa. The hosts lost three wickets in no time and it seemed like an early finish was on the cards. However, Mehidy and Jaker combined together to defy the Proteas and give Bangladesh a chance.
Bangladesh started the day 101 runs behind but they had seven wickets in hand. However, 101/3 soon turned into 112/6 as Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj combined to pick three wickets in the first hour. Rabada had Mahmudul Hasan Joy edging to first slip before he knocked over Mushfiqur Rahim for the second time in the game. Maharaj struck soon after as he got the big wicket of Litton Das who was caught behind.
That is when Mehidy and Jaker got together. Both batters showed some excellent character and applied themselves beautifully to keep the South African bowlers at bay. They did not do anything fancy and just bided their time at the crease, punishing the bad balls and keeping the good ones out.
After a manic first 40 minutes where all hopes died for Bangladesh, the Mehidy-Jaker pair batted out the remainder of the first session and Mehidy even reached his 9th Test half-century. Post lunch, it was more of the same from both batters and in the process, Jaker who is on Test debut got to his maiden fifty.
Best Test partnership for Bangladesh against South Africa
But not too long after that, he was trapped LBW by Maharaj who got one to go on with the arm. It brought an end to a 138-run stand which is the highest for Bangladesh (for any wicket) against South Africa in the history of Test cricket.
After Jaker’s dismissal, Mehidy continued on his merry way and Nayeem Hasan complimented him decently. Just when the new ball was available for South Africa, the rain came and stopped play for an hour and a half. Even post-resumption, South Africa did not opt for the new ball, given the fading light.
The players once again went off the field after five overs. Only 58 overs of play was possible on Day 3 and Mehidy Hasan Miraz ensured that Bangladesh do not go down without a fight. He is still unbeaten on 87 while Nayeem is batting on 16. Their lead reads 81 at the moment.
South Africa will want to wrap things up quickly on the fourth morning. However, if Bangladesh get a lead of 120 or more, things could get very interesting, given their plethora of spin options.
BRIEF SCORES: Bangladesh 106 (Mahmudul Hasan Joy 30, Wiaan Mulder 3/22, Kagiso Rabada 3/26, Keshav Maharaj 3/34) & 283/7 (Mehidy Hasan Miraz 87*, Jaker Ali 58, Kagiso Rabada 4/35, Keshav Maharaj 3/105) lead South Africa 308 allout (Kyle Verreynne 114, Wiaan Mulder 54, Taijul Islam 5/122, Hasan Mahmud 3/66) by 81 runs,