A sensible knock by lower-order batsman Samiun Bashar Ratul guided touring Bangladesh to a strong start in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament in Zimbabwe, with an exciting one-wicket victory over South Africa in a low-scoring match at the Sunrise Sports Club ground in the Zimbabwean capital Harare on Saturday.
Chasing a modest target of 129 runs, Bangladesh nearly lost control of the match after slumping to 109 for nine in 27 overs. However, in that crucial situation, number seven batsman Samiun Bashar steered the team to victory, finishing on 129 for nine in 28.4 overs.
Samiun Bashar contributed an unbeaten 45 off 39 balls, hitting seven fours and one six. He shared a 31-run seventh-wicket partnership with the day's other standout performer, Al Fahad.
In addition, opener Zawad Abrar (20), Mohammad Abdullah (14), and Al Fahad (11) were the only other Bangladeshi batsmen to reach double figures.
Earlier, favoured by the toss, South Africa opted to bat first but were bundled out cheaply for 128 runs in 34.4 overs.
Facing an early collapse, South Africa lost their top four wickets for just 43 runs in 8.4 overs against the fiery pace bowling of Bangladesh's Al Fahad.
However, middle-order batsmen Armaan Manack (28), Paul James (26), and Daniel Bisman (24) helped South Africa cross the 100-run mark.
Al Fahad inflicted the most damage on the South African innings, taking four wickets for 32 runs in his 10-over spell, while Shadhin Islam and Samiun Bashar took two wickets each, conceding five and 17 runs respectively.