A precise Bangladesh bowling attack, spearheaded by debutant Mustafizur Rahman and young leg-spinner Jubair Hossain, skittled out the world’s top-ranked Test side South Africa for a below-par 248 on the opening day of the first five-dayer at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.
In pursuit of the visitors’ first-innings tally, the home side ended the day’s proceedings on seven without loss as openers Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes negotiated two potentially dangerous overs before stumps.
Opting to take first strike, the Proteas crafted a smooth start to their innings, courtesy their top-order batsmen Dean Elgar (47), Stiaan van Zyl (34) and Faf du Plessis (48), and at one point were cruising on 136/1, only to see the Tigers bowlers hit back as they accounted for the last nine wickets conceding 112 runs. This was the visitors’ second lowest total against the hosts.
It was a cumulated Bangladesh bowling effort that proved to be the undoing of a formidable South African batting line-up. However, not surprisingly, new sensation Mustafiz, Bangladesh’s 78th Test cricketer, stole the show again as he unsettled the entire middle-order.
At tea, the visitors had only lost three wickets but the sharp Tigers bowlers never leaked runs. Mustafiz was then brought into the attack. Prior to his heroics, the Satkhira lad slowly built up the pressure on the opposition, dishing out three straight maidens. Then, he duly began the demolition act.
In the first delivery of the 60th over, Mustafiz sent back Proteas Test skipper Hashim Amla (13) to bag his maiden wicket. Off the very next ball, the left-armer trapped JP Duminy (nought) in front before new batsman Quinton de Kock (nought) saw off the hat-trick delivery. Mustafiz nearly became the fourth cricketer in history after Maurice Allom, Peter Petherick and Damien Fleming to register a hat-trick on Test debut.
De Kock’s stay at the crease barely lasted any longer as Mustafiz uprooted the off-stump to make it three scalps in four inch-perfect deliveries.
Temba Bavuma provided a brief respite to the Proteas, posting his maiden 50 to guide his side past the 200-run mark, but Mustafiz dismissed him as well to end with a four-wicket haul and cap off a fine performance by the Tigers bowlers.
In the process, the 19-year old became the third Bangladesh bowler after ODI and Twenty20 skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza and national discard Ziaur Rahman to pick up four wickets on Test debut.
Mustafiz’s brilliance was complemented well by Jubair’s attacking mindset. The young leggie might have leaked a few runs here and there but his never-back-off approach paid rich dividends as he removed Vernon Philander (24), Simon Harmer (nine) and Dale Steyn (two).
Mahmudullah, Shakib al Hasan and Taijul Islam shared three wickets between them, all of them came at crucial junctures of the opening day.
Mahmudullah initiated the first breakthrough when he induced an edge off Van Zyl; Taijul dismissed Elgar just when a partnership was starting to prosper while Shakib trapped the dangerous Du Plessis in front. While Elgar missed out on his fourth 50 by just three runs, Du Plessis was stranded two short of his eighth.
Mohammad Shahid, who was the only wicket-less Tigers bowler yesterday, bowled his heart out with some probing spells, including sending down seven maidens at a stretch.