South Africa appear to be on their way to a crushing victory over Bangladesh at the end of the second day of the first Castle Lager Test at Outsurance Park on Thursday, for a first innings lead of 288. South Africa needed just 36 overs and four balls to bowl Bangladesh out for 153 in their first innings, with the final wicket falling about half an hour before the scheduled close of play.
At close of play, Bangladesh had 20 for one in their follow-on innings, still trailing South Africa by 268 runs.
Bangladesh put on a woeful batting display, and appeared to be over-awed by the South African bowling attack. The first three wickets fell in the hour before tea, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Paul Harris taking one each.
Steyn struck again four balls after tea, when Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful was caught in the gully by Neil McKenzie for one. Makhaya Ntini then got into the act, taking three wickets in quick succession, to dismiss Mehrab Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan and Naeem Islam. Morkel caught Masrafe Mortaza off his own bowling for five.
Mushfiqur Rahim and Shahadat Hossain then offered the South Africans the first resistance, with a ninth wicket partnership of 60 – a record for Bangladesh against South Africa. Mushfiqur made 48 before he was trapped leg before wicket by Kallis.
Shahadat and Mahbubul Alam stuck around for a further 12 minutes before Kallis claimed his second wicket, with Shahadat comprehensively bowled for 23.
Ntini was the most successful bowler for South Africa, with three for 20. Steyn, Morkel, and Kallis took two each, while Harris, bowling with a broken bone at the base of his left thumb, took one. Morkel was fairly wayward, with five no balls and four wides, and he looked increasingly depressed as his waywardness continued.
As had been expected, Graeme Smith had no hesitation in asking Bangladesh to bat again.
Earlier, South Africa declared their first innings on 441 for nine. The early part of the day belonged to Bangladesh, as South African wickets tumbled while Shakib achieved the second five wicket haul of his career.
Smith and Amla completed a second wicket partnership of 225 before Amla was bowled by Masrafe for 112. Smith, who was dropped immediately after reaching 150, went out five balls later, bowled by Mahbubul for 157. He batted for just more than seven hours, and faced 248 balls. He also shared a century stand with Neil McKenzie.
Jacques Kallis continued his run of disappointing form as he mistimed a shot and was caught at wide mid-on by Mohammad Ashraful off Shakib for 16. Shakib then continued to knock off the South African batsmen, with AB de Villiers (3) caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim, Mark Boucher bowled for 15, Morne Morkel (8) caught by Ashraful and Dale Steyn (1) caught by Tamim Iqbal.
But it was Mahbubul, not Shakib, who ended the South African innings when Makhaya Ntini was caught by Mushfiqur for five.
Paul Harris, who fractured his left thumb during fielding practice on Wednesday, did not bat.
