CHITTAGONG: After a dream ODI debut last month, teenaged paceman Mustafizur Rahman announced his Test arrival by claiming three wickets in four balls as Bangladesh bowled out South Africa for 248 on the opening day of the two-match series on Sunday.

The tourists started well at 136 for one but could not convert the starts they got after opting to bat in the opener match at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Playing just his third Test, Temba Bavuma was the top-scorer with a gritty 54 before becoming the last South African batsman to fall.

Left-arm bowler Mustafizur, who had claimed 5-50 in his ODI debut against India, claimed 4-37 as he and leg-spinner Jubair Hossain (3-53) tormented the top ranked Test team.

The hosts, on a high after stunning South Africa in the preceding one-day series, were seven for no loss at stumps after Tamim Iqbal (1) and Imrul Kayes (5) saw through the final two overs of the day.

Earlier, Stiaan Van Zyl (34) hit Mohammad Shahid for two boundaries in the first over to signal his positive intent but fell to an innocuous Mohammad Mahmudullah delivery that was sliding down the leg.

Dean Elgar (47) and Faf Du Plessis (48) built on the 58-run opening stand to take South Africa past the 100-mark, regularly finding boundaries and rarely looking in discomfort in their 82-run partnership.

South Africa lost two wickets in three balls and were suddenly struggling to score against a team eight places below them in the Test rankings.

Elgar nicked a Taijul Islam delivery behind and Du Plessis was trapped leg-before by a Shakib Al Hasan delivery that kept low.

Mustafizur, who earned his Test cap after impressive performances in his first six ODIs, then mowed down the middle order in the 60th over, dismissing rival skipper Hashim Amla for his first Test wicket.

His next delivery trapped the scoreless J.P. Duminy leg-before-wicket after the hosts successfully reviewed the original not-out decision and got it overturned.

Quinton de Kock managed to deny Mustafizur a hat-trick but lost his off-stump in the very next delivery.

“I don’t have any regrets for missing out on the hat-trick,” Mustafizur told reporters. “I was not bowling that well in the first session. But I tried to bowl a few dot balls. I knew if we create pressure from both the ends we will get success,” he said.

Jubair dismissed Simon Harmer and Dale Steyn in the same over before Mustafizur ended Bavuma’s resistance to restrict South Africa under the 250-mark.

The visitors managed to add only 61 in 29 overs in the post-lunch session after resuming on 104-1.

Bavuma blamed lack of partnerships for their poor total.

“The wicket was slow and we could not create any big partnerships,” he said. “Also we lost wickets at crucial moments, which cost us.”

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):

D. Elgar c Das b Taijul47 S. van Zyl c Das b Mahmudullah 34 F. du Plessis lbw b Shakib48 H.M. Amla c Das b Mustafizur13 T. Bavuma c Jubair b Mustafizur54 J.P. Duminy lbw b Mustafizur0 Q. de Kock b Mustafizur0 V.D. Philander c Shakib b Jubair24 S.R. Harmer c Mominul b Jubair9 D.W. Steyn c Tamim b Jubair2 M. Morkel not out3

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-5, NB-1)14

TOTAL (all out, 83.3 overs)248

FALL OF WKTS: 1-58, 2-136, 3-136, 4-173, 5-173, 6-173, 7-208, 8-237, 9-239.

BOWLING: Mohammad Shahid 17-9-34-0; Mustafizur Rahman 17.4-6-37-4; Shakib Al Hasan 14-2-45-1; Mohammad Mahmudullah 3-0-9-1; Taijul Islam 18-3-57-1; Jubair Hossain 14-1-53-3 (1nb).

BANGLADESH (1st Innings):

Tamim Iqbal not out1 Imrul Kayes not out5

EXTRAS (NB-1)1

TOTAL (for no wkt, two overs)7

TO BAT: Mominul Haque, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Jubair Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.

BOWLING (to-date): Steyn 1-0-6-0; Philander 1-0-1-0 (1nb).

UMPIRES: R.A. Kettleborough (England) and J.S. Wilson (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: P.R. Reiffel (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England).

Published in Dawn, July 22th, 2015

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