A new format brought a fresh approach from Bangladesh and welcome redemption for Mushfiqur Rahim, but it could not bring a different result. A week after a groggy Mushfiqur, fresh from being hit on the head by Duanne Olivier, was faced with awkward questions around his Test captaincy, he struck the highest score by a Bangladeshi batsman in any format against South Africa. His unbeaten 110 from 116 balls helped Bangladesh post 278 for seven, their highest ODI total against South Africa.
Yet things were put in perspective when Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla knocked off that total in just 42.5 overs to lead South Africa to a crushing 10-wicket win in the first ODI in Kimberley on Sunday (October 15). Bangladesh were undoubtedly better than they had been in the Test series, but to see how short they still fell was rather alarming. With two more ODIs to come, this may be a series of marginal gains rather than a breakthrough overseas tour.
As one-sided as the game was, it at least provided some entertainment for the neutral while Bangladesh were batting. Unlike in the Test series, they had the courage to bat first after winning the toss, and the timidity that had plagued their batting in the longer format was cast aside and replaced by some adventurous strokeplay. It didn’t always have a huge effect, with South Africa’s bowlers using the short ball regularly, but at least there was intent.
Their innings was also about a measured as you could ask for. They scored 44 runs in the opening 10 overs, 51 from the next 10, and found themselves 150 for 3 after 30 overs, which looked a solid base. Ultimately they were let down by the fact that nobody other than Mushfiqur passed 31. On a pitch that was just on the slow side, they had the rebuild too often to accelerate in the latter stages of their innings. They were also thwarted by some clever bowling. While Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman all had the courage to charge the fast bowlers, they were often stopped in their tracks by looping bouncers that proved difficult to put away.
Mushfiqur’s innings, though, was a joy to watch after his troubles last weekend. He started off by hitting straight down the ground, but gradually began to improvise with both the sweep and reverse-sweep. He could have been out on 41 when Imran Tahir trapped him lbw, but the umpire ruled bat before pad and South Africa failed to review. He duly went to fifty by running at Dane Paterson, who had a tough debut in place of the injured Wayne Parnell, to smoke him over extra cover for six.
While the other batsmen had some personal highlights – Mahmudullah charging Kagiso Rabada to crunch him for six being the pick of the bunch – none were able to persist in the way that Mushfiqur did. He reached his hundred in the 46th over, becoming the first Bangladeshi to score a hundred in any format against South Africa.
The warm fuzzy feelings amongst a healthy contingent of Bangladesh fans at the Diamond Oval dissipated as South Africa’s innings got underway. While Bangladesh’s batsmen had some bite, their bowlers were just as toothless as the Test unit – and proved unable to contain de Kock and Amla. Both batsmen batted at around a run a ball up until three figures before accelerating, with de Kock finishing on 168 and Amla on 110.
The only chances the duo did give were late in their innings – Amla being dropped on 94 by Taskin Ahmed in his follow through and de Kock put down on the boundary as he was looking to finish the game in a hurry. Otherwise it was a procession of records, with the pair registering their 10th century stand in ODIs and going on to record South Africa’s highest partnership for any wicket in the format. For de Kock it was ODI century number 13, while Amla made his 26th.
Brief Scores
Bangladesh 278 for 8 in 50 overs (Mushfiqur Rahim 110*, Imrul Kayes 31; Kagiso Rabada 4-43, Dwaine Pretorius 2-48) lost to
South Africa 282/0 in 42.5 overs (Quinton de Kock 168*, Hashim Amla 110*) by 10 wickets.
