The Bangladesh men's cricket team made history on Wednesday (March 24) at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Tigers defeated the Proteas 2-1 in the bilateral ODI series on South African territory for the first time. Bangladesh pulled off the seemingly impossible with some outstanding individual efforts throughout the series. This series against South Africa is one of the few away series that Bangladesh have won so far, and it is possibly the best ever to date. Let's have a look at how Bangladesh players fared in the SA vs BAN ODI series 2022.
Bangladesh's Overall Performance in the 2022 ODI Series Between South Africa and Bangladesh
Bangladesh's tour to South Africa began with a limited-overs series. The first and third ODI matches were held at SuperSport Park in Centurion, while the second match was held at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
First ODI
Bangladesh dominated South Africa in the first one-day international, winning by 38 runs. The visitors chose to bat first after winning the toss and scored 314 runs. The Tamim-Litton opening duo provided Bangladesh with the perfect platform by putting together a 95-run opening partnership. Later, a 115-run partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Yasir Ali for the fourth wicket helped Bangladesh reach a big total. In response, Rassie van der Dussen (86) and David Miller (79) each played two solid innings, but they both departed at crucial stages. Bangladesh were able to win the contest with relative ease in the end.
Read Bangladesh bowl first in series decider vs South Africa
Second ODI
The South African team completely dominated Bangladesh. The surface aided the bowlers in the opening 90 minutes. The Proteas pacers took advantage of the situation and got five wickets in 13 overs. Bangladesh had 34/5 at one stage, and they were on the verge of losing all of their wickets for just 100 runs. Bangladesh finally scored 194/9 thanks to Afif Hossain's superb 72-run innings. On the other hand, South Africa had no problem reaching the target. The hosts won the match by 7 wickets with 12.4 overs to spare because of Quinton De Kock's scorching 62-run effort.
Third ODI
The series decider was expected to be a closely-contested affair. However, South African batters were totally unprepared by Taskin Ahmed's superb pace bowling excellence. His five-wicket haul wreaked havoc on the Proteas batting order. South Africa were dismissed after only 154 runs. Bangladesh won the chase thanks to Tamim-127-run opening partnership with Litton Das. The visitors were able to secure the game by 9 wickets with 23.3 overs remaining.
Read Tremendous Taskin takes five as Bangladesh wrap up SA for 154
Bangladesh Players' Individual Performances in the SA vs BAN ODI Series 2022
There were a few exceptional performances by Bangladesh players that stood out during the series. In particular, the performances of young players were quite promising, indicating that Bangladesh have a bright future on the international stage.
Bowling
Among Bangladesh players, Taskin Ahmed's evolution as a fast bowler has been the most noticeable. This right-handed bowler put in a lot of effort to get back into the Bangladesh team, and it has finally paid off. The South African batters had a lot of trouble with Taskin's bowling variations. He took eight wickets in the series, including a five-wicket haul in the decider. Taskin Ahmed was named player of the series for his performance in the 2022 ODI series between South Africa and Bangladesh.
In addition to Taskin, left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam was outstanding throughout the series. Since making his international debut last year, Shoriful has established himself as a real difference-maker in the Bangladesh team. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz both had strong performances during this bilateral series. However, Mustafizur Rahman did not take a wicket in the series, which is a major concern for Bangladesh.
Read Imperious Tigers complete historic series win in South Africa
Top Three most wicket-takers of Bangladesh
|
Player |
Match |
Wickets |
BBI |
Ave |
Econ |
|
Taskin Ahmed |
3 |
8 |
5/35 |
14.00 |
4.86 |
|
Mehidy Hasan Miraz |
3 |
6 |
4/61 |
24.00 |
6.00 |
|
Shakib Al Hasan |
3 |
3 |
2/24 |
37.00 |
3.82 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Batting
Bangladesh captain, Tamim Iqbal made the highest 129 runs in the series. The southpaw was criticized for not performing to his full potential in the first two games. On the other hand, Tamim silenced his critics in the third match by playing an aggressive innings. Tamim's opening partner, Litton Das was second in the most run-scorers list and also delivered two vital knocks in the series. Bangladesh's best opening pair has shown consistency with the bat, which is encouraging for the team's management ahead of the Test series.
Aside from them, veteran Shakib Al Hasan, newcomer Yasir Ali, and young Afif Hossain also enjoyed their time at the crease. In particular, the performances of Yasir and Afif were significant for the Bangladesh team. Yasir will have to show his worth in the forthcoming games, while Afif's two excellent knocks against Afghanistan and South Africa, respectively, show that the southpaw is ready to step up when needed. Moreover, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad didn't accomplish much with the bat during the series.
Read Tigers Create Path-Breaking history in South Africa by Conquering Proteas in the ODI series decider
Top Three most run-scorers of Bangladesh
|
Player |
Innings |
Runs |
HS |
Ave |
50s |
|
Tamim Iqbal |
3 |
129 |
87* |
64.50 |
1 |
|
Litton Das |
3 |
113 |
50 |
37.66 |
1 |
|
Shakib Al Hasan |
3 |
95 |
77 |
47.50 |
1 |
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Way Forward
The Bangladesh team was anticipated to win at least one match during the SA vs BAN ODI series 2022. However, Bangladesh astonished everyone by winning the series because of some spectacular individual performances and a superb team effort. Team Tigers' growth under Tamim Iqbal's leadership has been truly remarkable. If Bangladesh aspire to establish itself as one of the world's top cricketing nations, they must maintain this consistency in the forthcoming international matches.