South Africa Build Commanding Lead

South Africa Build Commanding Lead

All smiles: Makhaya Ntini picked up three wickets for South Africa.

©Action Images / Scott Heavey

South Africa Build Commanding Lead

Graeme Smith fell for 157 - the first time he has failed to reach 200 having passed 100 against Bangladesh.

©Action Images / Scott Heavey

South Africa 441-9 dec. (Smith 157, Amla 112, Shakib Al Hasan 5-130) v
Bangladesh 153 (Mushfiqur Rahim 48, Ntini 3-20, Kallis 2-10) & 20-1
Scorecard
1st Test, Bloemfontein, day two

South Africa secured a first innings lead of 288 by bowling Bangladesh out for just 153 in reply to 441 for nine declared and asking them to follow on on day two of the first Test in Bloemfontein. Bangladesh were 20 for one in their second innings at the close of play, still 268 behind.

Bangladesh lost three wickets before tea and seven afterwards to undo the work of left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan, who took five wickets earlier in the day.

Shakib returned five for 130 as South Africa closed their first innings on 441 for nine, declaring after the fall of the ninth wicket with Paul Harris nursing a broken thumb and unable to bat. Harris then picked up a wicket despite his injured digit to reduce Bangladesh to 33 for three.

Graeme Smith fell for 157 when he was bowled by Mahbubul Alam with fellow centurion Hashim Amla (112) the first wicket to fall in the day when he was bowled by Mashrafe Mortaza. The wicket brought to an end a 225-run stand between the pair and Smith fell five balls after Amla as Bangladesh hit back.

Jacques Kallis (16) and Ashwell Prince (59 not out) steadied the innings before Bangladesh produced another double strike courtesy of left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan. He had Kallis caught by Mohammad Ashraful and then AB de Villiers caught by Mushfiqur Rahim for three before Prince and Boucher (15) guided their side to lunch.

After lunch, Shakib had Boucher bowled and Morne Morkel (eight) and Dale Steyn (one) caught attempting big shots before Makhaya Ntini edged Mahbubul to Mushfiqur for five to end the innings.

Bangladesh were quickly in trouble when Tamim Iqbal got nowhere near a Steyn inswinger and was comprehensively bowled for seven. Zunaed Siddique was caught by Ashwell Prince when a Morkel delivery had him looping the ball to point before Imrul Kayes' first Test innings ended when he was caught at short leg by Amla pushing forward at a spinning delivery from Harris.

He had made 10, four of those runs coming from a straight drive over Harris's head immediately prior to his dismissal.

After tea, Mohammad Ashraful fell with no addition to the score for one when he was caught in the gully to begin the procession. Shakib himself played a couple of neat strokes for four before edging Ntini, who finished with three for 20, to AB de Villiers at slip before Mehrab Hossain (12) and Naeem Islam (eight) also fell to the paceman.

Mortaza was brilliantly caught and bowled by Morkel on his follow through before a Bangladesh national record ninth-wicket partnership of 60 between Mushfiqur Rahim (48) and Shahadat Hossain (23) held South Africa up.

Their stand was finally ended when Kallis (2-10) came on to trap Rahim in front and bowl Shahadat with a yorker that left Mahbubul Alam unbeaten on one.

Imrul Kayes then lost his wicket, bowled by Steyn for four when Bangladesh followed on, with Tamim Iqbal (five) and Zunaed Siddique (seven) the unbeaten batsmen overnight.

© Cricket World 2008