Bangladesh takes 1-0 lead against South Africa in 3 match ODI-series
After getting their first victory against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, Bangladesh scripted another history at the Centurion Supersport park with their first victory against South Africa.
Shakib Al Hasan was voted player of the match in the winSpell-bound performance by Bangladesh
The day commenced with South Africa winning the toss to bowl first. Bangladesh's top-order batters laid the foundation to give a slow yet decent start to the match. Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das opened the day to stitch a 95-run partnership off 130 balls.
The former got dismissed at 41, whereas Litton Das got bowled by Keshav Maharaj on a short ball after making his fifth ODI half-century.
Following this came a tremendous contribution from middle-order all-rounders. Shakib Al Hasan and Yasir Ali piled up a 115-run partnership in just 82 balls. Yasir Ali got out when on 50, and Shakib Al Hasan made 77 off 64 balls. Bangladesh breached the 300-mark to set a target of 314 for the Proteas on the scoreboard.
Shakib Al Hasan (Player of the Match) said, "When I spend 7-8 balls, I knew we had to score somewhere near 300.
"We got a good start. It was easier with the old ball. Yasir batted well and a lot of credit should go to him. He played a perfect inning. Not easy for someone who is playing his 3rd or 4th game against SA.
"We needed to take some calculative risks. I thought going after the bowlers from the 30th-40th over was important. We knew Kagiso Rabada would bowl at the end, so had to bring him back early."
Disastrous start for Proteas
South Africa openers got a very terrible start. Top-order stumbled and failed to create a platform for middle and lower-order batters. South Africa had lost 4 wickets at a mere 56 runs, which brought Bangladesh bowlers in a dominant role.
It was then, Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller, who came to rescue for their team and took control from the bowlers. They partnered 70 runs in 64 balls.
Rassie van der Dussen made 86 off 98 balls whereas David Miller played with a strike rate of over 100 to make 79 runs off 57 balls. They must have desired to take the team to the finishing line,however failed to do so. Their sparkling knock fell short of making their team win as lower order could not capitalise on their foundation. The complete team got dismissed for 276 in 48.5 overs.
Can Bangladesh win the series?
Performances and victories away from home are always sweet. A 38-run win in Centurion, Bangladesh's victory against New Zealand in January will be cherished by the team and fans for a long time. With 1-0 up in the series, the much anticipated and awaited second match for Bangladesh to win this series. Second One Day International is on (March 20) at Johannesburg.