Bangladesh made history by defeating South Africa for the first time in South Africa in the first ODI of the bilateral series. Bangladesh had to wait 20 years and 20 matches to win their first match against South Africa on South African soil. The roaring tigers beat the Proteas by 38 runs in front of their home fans at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Friday, (March 18). This victory will undoubtedly boost the visiting team's confidence for the remainder of the series. Let's have a look at how Bangladesh clinched the first ODI of the SA vs BAN 2022 series.
Match Report: South Africa-Bangladesh First ODI 2022
An amazing one-day victory against South Africa is a huge achievement for Bangladesh cricket after winning a Test match against New Zealand at home last January. Moreover, the team tigers' rapid growth in cricket sends a strong message to the International Cricket Council that Bangladesh are on its way to becoming a competitive cricket nation.
Bangladesh Innings
The chasing team has a higher success rate at SuperSport Park in Centurion because the ground is somewhat smaller and more conducive to batters. Therefore, chasing is easy on this well-known ground. Taking these factors into account, the South African captain, Temba Bavuma decided to bat first against Bangladesh. However, the Proteas bowlers failed to capture early wickets in Bangladesh's innings, allowing the openers to build a solid partnership.
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Tamim and Litton put on a 95-run opening stand in 21.3 overs. Both players appeared to be sturdy in the center and on their way to making big plays. But both openers fell in the space of one over, and veteran Mushfiqur Rahim followed them to the pavilion a few overs later. Even after a strong start, Bangladesh were reduced to 124/3. A big partnership was required for a competitive total, and Shakib-Yasir's 115-run stand helped Bangladesh break the 200-run barrier quickly.
Shakib Al Hasan set the tone for the remainder of the batters by smashing a strong 77 in the middle. On the other side, Yasir Ali made a quick-fire 50. Following their departures, Mahmudullah Riyad (25), Afif Hossain (17), and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (19*) produced key innings in the middle-order to enable Bangladesh to reach 314/7. South Africa's Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj both took two wickets.
South Africa Innings
The South Africans should have had no trouble chasing down 315 runs to win the match. However, the hosts lost three quick wickets for only 36 runs, putting them under a lot of pressure. At the start of the innings, medium-pacer Taskin Ahmed was superb with the ball. He took two out of the three batters.
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Following that, skipper Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen attempted to rebuild the innings with an 85-run partnership. Their collaboration brought the total to 121. Pacer, Shoriful Islam ended the partnership by taking Bavuma's wicket. South Africa was still in contention when Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller were at the crease. However, South Africa's hopes were dashed when both batters went to the pavilion.
South Africa lost all of their wickets for 276 runs in 48.5 overs. Rassie van der Dussen scored the most runs with 86, followed by David Miller with 79. Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed was crucial at the start of the innings, while Mehidy Miraz finished the job by capturing the South African tail-enders. Miraz got the most wickets with four, while Taskin took three.
Player of the Match
Shakib Al Hasan was awarded player of the match. His counter-attacking 77 off 64 balls innings spurred the remainder of Bangladesh's middle order to score big against South Africa.
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Way Forward
Prior to the first ODI, the Bangladesh limited-overs cricket team was under pressure to put up a brave effort against South Africa in order to exhibit their progress on the international stage. Therefore, the BCB added a pair of former South African internationals to the Tigers' ODI coaching staff. These arrangements worked perfectly in the first match, as Bangladesh shocked the home team with a comfortable victory. This win is undoubtedly a momentous occasion for Bangladesh cricket. Hopefully, many more successes will follow in the coming years on South African soil. Bangladesh will be eying to wrap up the ODI format SA vs BAN 2022 series when the two teams meet on Sunday (March 20) in Johannesburg.
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