Left-handed batter Mominul Haque hit a fifty after Bangladesh lost eight wickets for 48 runs in reply to South Africa’s mammoth total of 575 runs in the Chattogram Test. 

Bangladesh are trailing by 438 runs, and they still need 239 more to avoid a looming follow-on.  

At day three lunch, Bangladesh were batting at 137 for eight wickets, with Mominul remaining not out for 74 and Taijul Islam for 18. 

They forged out an 89-run stand in the ninth wicket, offering a fightback to South Africa, who had been on command in this Test since day one. 

South Africa tightens grip in 2nd Test against Bangladesh

The wicket suddenly started to look flat to make the batter play easily. But at the start of the day, there were cracks on the wicket, as the legendary South African pacer Shaun Pollock said to the broadcaster in the morning. Rabada had already taken two wickets on Wednesday. He took three more in the first season of day three.

Rabada first trapped Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto with an angling delivery that was going away lately. Shanto prodded it to the wicketkeeper. Mushfiuqr Rahim fell to a soft dismissal in the next over while driving to the mid-wicket. He just flicked it straight to the fielder at the mid-off. 

South Africa opt to bat first in Chattogram Test vs Bangladesh

In his next over, Rabada took two wickets in three balls. Mehidy Hasan Miraz edged to the wicketkeeper off an outside-off delivery, and then Rabada trapped Mahidul Islam lbw for a duck. 

Bangladesh lost the first Test in Dhaka and are now on the verge of another defeat unless they create any unlikely history in the second innings. 

Bangladesh played 24 Tests in Chattogram, with two wins, seven draws, and defeats in all others.