Proteas smash Bangladesh to end decade-long barren run in subcontinent

Bangladesh produced a comically inept batting performance in Chattogram on Thursday, suffering a crushing defeat to the Proteas and handing the tourists a much-needed boost to their chances of qualifying for the final of the World Test Championship next year. 

The Proteas closed out an innings and 273-run second Test victory at the ZA Chowdhury Stadium, earning them a first Test series win in the subcontinent since 2014. It was the largest margin of victory by an innings for South Africa.

They were given a helping hand by Bangladesh, who batted in a manner far more in keeping with the kind of tentativeness associated with them in 2000s and not a team that recently won a series in Pakistan. 

By the end of the second day they’d been reduced to 38/4 in response to South Africa’s mammoth first innings total of 575/6 declared. It took Kagiso Rabada half an hour to make that situation worse on Thursday, as he claimed his second five-for of the series, as the hosts slumped to 48/8. 

A partnership of 103 for the ninth wicket between Mominul Haque and Taijul Islam should have given the Bangladeshis cause for optimism, but instead they engaged in a series of mishaps in their second innings in which it looked like they were competing to see who could get out in the funniest manner. 

After dismissing Bangladesh for 159, South Africa chose to enforce the follow-on and despite dropping a few catches, they quickly earned reward. Dane Paterson found the outside edge of Shadman Islam’s bat and Senuran Muthusamy did the same with Mahmudul Hasan Joy.

The circus came to town thereafter. Keshav Maharaj couldn’t stop laughing as Mominul, who’d made 82 in the first innings, picked out Muthusamy, the only fielder in the leg-side boundary, and suffered the indignity of being dismissed twice in the same session. 

Zakir Hasan was stumped after charging down the wicket at Muthusamy and attempting to defend with an angled bat, saw the ball squeeze between that bat and pad, allowing Kyle Verreynne an easy dismissal. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz was next to join the parade of clownishness, top-edging a sweep to Tristan Stubbs after scoring six. As the light faded, the Proteas were able to finish off the toothless Tigers with the home team understandably not interested in wanting to return for Friday's fourth day.

They played in a manner of a team for whom all the off-field drama has taken a toll.

Their veteran all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan was removed from the squad ahead of what would have been his last Test in Dhaka last week for security reasons.

That followed Chandika Hathurusingha being fired as head coach a week before the series for allegedly assaulting a player in the dressing room during last year’s World Cup. Then in the build up to the second Test, skipper Najmul Shanto said he no longer wanted to captain the team. 

For an inexperienced South Africa this was a notable triumph. The last time a Proteas team won a Test series in the subcontinent, in Sri Lanka 10 years ago, names like De Villiers, Amla, Steyn and Philander were on the playing sheet. 

In Chattogram, it was De Zorzi, Stubbs, Mulder and Muthusamy who stepped to the fore.

However the experienced charges played a role too; Rabada took 5/37 in Bangladesh’s first innings, while Maharaj, picked up a 10th five-wicket haul in Tests, claiming 5/59 in Bangladesh’s second innings. 

After a T20 series against India, South Africa play the first of four Tests on home soil against Sri Lanka, starting in Durban at the end of November. After the two matches against the Sri Lankans, the Proteas face Pakistan in the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park, followed by the New Year’s Test in Cape Town. 

If they win all four, they will qualify for the final of the World Test Championships, which will be played at Lord’s in June next year.