Mark Smit
27 November 2008
Centurion — Bangladesh cricket coach Jamie Siddons must have been thrilled with much of what he saw on the first day of the second Test between his green youngsters and Graeme Smith's South Africans at a verdant Centurion Park yesterday.
However, South African coach Mickey Arthur may not have been so thrilled with the fielding and catching of his charges, considering the first Test against Australia is just 17 days away.
On a day of strangely fitful Test cricket, the young tourists fought like the tigers that grace their country's jungles, to improve on their dismal performance in Bloemfontein.
Their labours were rewarded with a respectable first innings score of 250, to which they added the prize wicket of Neil McKenzie for nought, as SA reached 20/1 by the end of the first day. Graeme Smith was undefeated on 15 and Hashim Amla on 5.
Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful again won the toss, but this time decided to bat first on a pitch most expected to play well. It did, for the most part, with only one or two low bounces at the southern end. The result was that the better batsmen in their side were able to play their shots and there were several delightful drives to keep the small, but very vocal, Centurion crowd happy.
Junaid Siddiqui, coming to the crease at No3, was particularly defiant, making a solid 67 to lead his side's quest for a bigger total than the 150s in Bloemfontein. His 50 was taken off 85 balls and his 67 off a more pedestrian 144 balls.
Opener Tamim Iqbal finished with 31, and fast-improving wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, the top scorer in the second innings in Bloemfontein, added to SA's anguish, making merry with the tailenders and adding a record 56 for the 10th wicket with Mahbubul Alam - whose contribution was a princely one.
Mushifiqur ended with a sparkling 65 that contained two big sixes and nine fours.
The measure of Bangladesh's increased resolve could be seen in the way Iqbal and his fellow opener, Imrul Kayes, refused to be drawn into rash shot making in the morning session.
Bangladesh took an hour to score 25 runs and 90 minutes to reach 50. Both openers left extremely well, which will have gladdened the heart of Siddons, who has been working hard on that aspect of the batting.
But, as has happened throughout their tour, the visitors failed to really cash in on a good start with the captain, Mohammad Ashraful, and Mehrab Hossain again going cheaply, before Shakib Al Hassan weighed in with 30.
The home side's fielding was sloppy, peppered with overthrows and at least four dropped catches -- two by Mark Boucher behind the stumps.
The only moment of real fielding brilliance came from McKenzie, who held on to a sensational diving catch in the gulley to send top-scorer Siddique on his way.
If the fielding left much to be desired on the day, Arthur will have been relatively pleased with the bowling -- particularly that of Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini.
Morkel, showing glimpses of just how dangerous he will be once he settles in, took 4/73 in 18 overs and a rejuvenated Ntini charged in like the exuberant youngster of old to take 4/32 in 19.2 overs.
Dale Steyn had a very different day, suffering at the hands of Mushifiqur and finishing with 1/80 off 17 overs in the heat and humidity of his home ground.
After the day's play, Morkel had to face the inevitable question about his 12 no-balls and he reacted with some irritation: "I wasn't worried about them. All I was trying to do was get the ball in the right place and bowl the correct channels. The no-balls are just a wrist position thing but as long as I am getting the ball in the right places I am happy."
Ntini, "the senior pro to mentor Morne", was his usual effervescent self, saying that he was already focused on Australia. "You must get the ball in exactly the right places. When you go to Australia you have to be like (Glen) McGrath and (Shaun) Pollock."
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