Three wickets apiece from Gerald Coetzee and Tshepo Ntuli, followed by half-centuries from Marques Ackerman and Zubayr Hamza, put South Africa A (SA ‘A’) in a commanding position on the opening day of the first unofficial test against Bangladesh A at the Tuks Oval in Pretoria on Sunday.
Coetzee (3-31) and Ntuli (3-6), with support from Tshepo Moreki and Codi Yusuf, who claimed two wickets each, restricted the visitors to 122 in 44.3 overs. Captain Ackerman (80*) and Hamza (70*) then led the reply with an unbeaten partnership to take SA‘A’ to 170 for two at stumps, giving the hosts a lead of 48 runs.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, pace pair Moreki (2-38) and Yusuf (2-22) got proceedings underway, with the latter striking in just his third over of the morning when Mohammad Naim Sheikh (8) edged one to Hamza, who held on at second slip.
Coetzee was introduced into the attack in the 11th over and needed just nine balls to break through Mahmudul Hasan Joy’s defences, sending his leg stump cartwheeling, and leaving both openers back in the changeroom with the score on 38 for two.
Shahadat Hossain Dipu and Zakir Hasan put on 23 for the third wicket - the highest partnership of the innings - before Coetzee was celebrating again, with Dipu edging him behind to wicket-keeper Sinethemba Qeshile for 23.
Back-to-back wicket-taking overs on either side of lunch took Bangladesh from 61 for three to 87 for seven. Al Fahad (18) helped push the score past 100, but the introduction of spin reaped immediate rewards when Ntuli struck with his very first ball to remove Fahad, before having Iqbal Hossain Emon caught by Lesego Senokwane at deep mid-wicket for four. The 30-year-old then wrapped things up with the wicket of Anamul Haque (3).
With ball in hand, Fahad (1-26) dismissed SA ‘A’ opener Senokwane (0) four balls into the reply after the right-hander chopped the ball onto his stumps. Tshepang Dithole (10) was the next to fall after he mistimed a cut shot off Haque (1-33) in the seventh over, with 21 runs on the board.
From there, though, it was the Hamza (70* off 99 balls) and Ackerman (80* off 87 balls) show, with the pair counter-attacking with 16 fours and three sixes between them in an unbroken third-wicket stand worth 149, keeping their side in a strong position at the close of play.