Chittagong – Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt believes the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is “fairly even” after the visitors bowling unit toiled for most of the second day on Wednesday.
The home side moved patiently to 179/4, still 69 runs in arrears of South Africa’s first innings 248 all out, when a heavy downpour brought an early close to proceedings. Half-centuries from opening batsman Tamim Iqbal (57, 129 balls, 3x4) and middle-order batsman Mahmudullah (67, 138 balls, 10x4) provided the backbone of the Bangladeshi innings.
“We will take that. Tomorrow you can come here and take two wickets upfront. Tomorrow is a different story. It could be overcast and the second ball is due and it could be a different story,” Langeveldt said after play.
“I would go maybe 60-40 in their favour. They are close to 180, batting at 2.5 runs to the over, the game is fairly even. If they go past us and get a 100 run lead then we will be struggling, but at the moment the game is fairly even.”
The experienced Bangladeshi batting pair shared an 89-run partnership for the third wicket that was threatening to take the game away from the South Africans. It required the “golden arm” of part-time left-arm spinner Dean Elgar to bring it to a close when Tamim misjudged a loopy full toss and swept all around it to be bowled around his legs. It was a day of the part-timers for South Africa as Elgar’s batting opening partner Stiaan van Zyl also brought about the initial breakthrough when he has Imrul Keyes stumped down the leg side for 26.
The only wickets to fall to “specialist bowlers” were that of Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah. Off-spinner Simon Harmer accounted for Haque when the Bangladeshi No 3 misjudged a flatter, straight delivery while Vernon Philander chipped in the all-important wicket of Mahmudullah – trapped lbw – shortly before the close. There was no success for either Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel with the former still four wickets short of joining the exclusive “400 club”.
“They are still world class bowlers (Steyn and Morkel). I thought he (Steyn) was a bit unlucky. He beat the bat a lot of Tamim. It was one of those days, you could be bowling gun and not take a wicket and no reward and then Stiaan gets a leg-side stumping,” Langeveldt said.