NEW DELHI: South Africa secured a commanding victory over Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series at Dhaka’s Shere Bangla National Stadium on Thursday.
This victory marks South Africa’s first Test win in Asia since 2014 and boosts their standing in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, climbing to fourth place. India (68.06) and Australia (62.50) continue to hold the top two spots, with Sri Lanka at third with 55.56 point percentage.
The Proteas’ win improved their point percentage to 47.62, allowing them to jump ahead of New Zealand and England in the WTC standings.Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s loss dropped their point percentage to 30.56, leaving them in seventh place.
Scorecard – Bangladesh vs South Africa, 1st Test
In the match, Bangladesh’s captain Najmul Hossain Shanto opted to field, a decision that backfired as South Africa’s bowlers thrived in favorable conditions. Bangladesh were bowled out for just 106 runs in the first innings.
In response, South Africa posted 308, thanks to a resilient century from Kyle Verreynne (114 off 144 balls), aided by Wiaan Mulder (54 off 112 balls) and Dane Piedt (32 off 87 balls). South Africa gained a substantial 202-run lead after the first innings.
In Bangladesh’s second innings, Rabada’s impressive 6/46 helped reduce the hosts to 112/6 at one stage. However, a gritty knock of 97 from Mehidy Hasan allowed Bangladesh to reach 307, setting South Africa a target of 106 runs to win.
South Africa comfortably chased down the target, with Tony de Zorzi contributing 41 off 52 balls and Tristan Stubbs finishing unbeaten on 30 off 37 balls, sealing a seven-wicket win.
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