Solid opening day for Proteas’ batsmen

Half-centuries by Dean Elgar, Keegan Petersen and Temba Bavuma enabled South Africa to reach a solid 278 for five on the opening day of the second Betway test against Bangladesh at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Friday.

One up in the two-test series, Dean Elgar won a good toss on a benign, easy-paced pitch and had no hesitation in batting. His decision proved correct although the Bangladesh bowlers, after a poor opening session – similar to Durban – tightened up their disciplines and made the South African batsmen work harder for their runs as the day went on.

The star bowler for Bangladesh was left-arm spinner Taijul Islam who claimed 3-77 in 32 overs. Khaled Ahmed was the best of the (only two) pacemen Bangladesh chose, taking 2-59 in 20 overs. For the most part, the other bowlers were not consistent enough.

Elgar, who has batted very positively in this series, once again dominated the opening partnership with Sarel Erwee. The pair reached 50 in the 11th over, before Erwee was the first to go, edging a drive off a full, albeit wide delivery from Khaled Ahmed that wicketkeeper Liton Das pouched diving to his left. It was a kind of justice for Khaled who, replays showed, had trapped Erwee leg before in the third over but the tourists failed to review in time.

ELGAR CONSISTENCY

Elgar and Keegan Petersen continued the good scoring rate, taking full toll of regular boundary balls from the two Bangladesh pacemen, particularly the expensive Ebadot Hossain who tended to bowl too short.

Elgar, having struck his second fastest test 50 in Durban, claimed his third fastest at St George’s Park in 66 balls, his 22nd overall. This is a favoured ground for the left-hander who is South Africa’s biggest scorer in tests there.

At the break, Elgar had struck eight fours in his 59 in 80 balls, mainly square of the wicket on both sides, while Petersen had kept him company (24 in 48 balls) in their unbroken second-wicket stand of 55 in 96 balls.

The afternoon session was divided into two because of a 25-minute break due to rain, with the Proteas losing one wicket in each period and the visitors coming back into the game through their left-arm spinner, Taijul Islam.

South Africa’s captain, in superb form, had reached 70 in only 80 balls, including 10 fours, when he fell victim to Bangladesh’s best bowler, Taijul, 20 minutes after lunch. Taijul spun his first delivery of the 33rd over sharply into Elgar’s pads before bowling a flatter, fuller delivery outside his off-stump. Conscious that the ball could spin into him, Elgar didn’t leave the ball but played away from his body and got a bottom edge that wicketkeeper Das safely held.

Having scored a brace of fifties in Durban, it was frustrating for the captain to depart but he and Petersen had added a valuable 81 in 125 balls for the second wicket.

Petersen continued with his ultra-positive approach that occasionally caused him a few problems, edging through the slips on a couple of occasions, but he also played some superb strokes, notably a series of elegant cover drives, as he reached his fourth test half-century in 79 balls, including eight fours.

The second hour of the session after the rain break saw Bangladesh significantly slow the South African scoring rate, and ,in particular, the free-flowing Petersen. Fourteen runs came in nine overs when the players returned to the field with the Bangladeshis focusing on tightening up their disciplines.

BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED

Petersen became almost becalmed for a period and then, trying to attack Taijul, he fell victim to an unusual dismissal. Dancing well down the track to the spinner, Petersen was struck on the pad. The appeal for leg before was turned down but was then reviewed.

Replays showed the ball would have hit leg stump. DRS protocols say that when a batsman is three metres down the track, the review automatically accedes to umpire’s call. Unfortunately for him, Petersen was 2.89 metres down the track. A bewildered Petersen had to go for a valuable 64 in 124 balls.

The cricket continued on its attritional course with Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton playing cautiously as Bangladesh restricted the Proteas to 43 runs in the last 19 overs of the session.

Bavuma and Rickelton took their fourth-wicket partnership to 83 in 186 balls after tea when Rickelton (42 in 82 balls), trying to accelerate the run-rate, gloved a reverse sweep to Yasir Ali at slip. The decision, originally not out, was reversed on review.

Bavuma, compact, measured and in control, looked to be building a big score but, once again, he was denied a century when he had reached 67 in 162 balls. Squared up by Khaled, he edged to first slip where Najmul Shanto scooped a good catch very low down in front of him. Having the wicketkeeper dive across him made the catch that much more difficult.

Wiaan Mulder joined Kyle Verreynne and the two men saw the Proteas through to the close, surviving the first few vigorous overs of the second new ball.

SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar (capt), Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, Lizaad Williams, Duanne Olivier

BANGLADESH: Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das (wk), Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain