Bangladesh had won a bilateral ODI series against South Africa at home but had never beaten them away from home before yesterday (March 23). Bangladesh beat South Africa by 9 wickets in the third ODI in front of their home crowd at the SuperSport Park in Centurion, clinching the series 2-1. The Tigers defeated the Proteas in an ODI series on South African territory for the first time. This victory will undoubtedly go down in Bangladesh cricket history as a watershed moment. Let's have a look at how Bangladesh defeated South Africa in the third One-Day International.
Match Report: South Africa-Bangladesh Third ODI 2022
The SuperSport Park in Centurion is famed for its batting-friendly track, as seen in the opening match of the series. Though, South Africa's batting performance on Wednesday seemed to suggest otherwise.
After winning the toss, the Proteas captain, Temba Bavuma made the obvious decision to bat first. The South African team management crafted a plan to score above 300 runs and as many as possible. South Africa got off to a flying start in pursuit of their goal, scoring 46 runs in seven overs. However, the hosts' innings fell apart when off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz sent Quinton de Kock back to the pavilion in the fifth ball of the seventh over. Quinton's wicket was significant because he was ruthless in the second match and delivered a brilliant knock for the Proteas.
Read Imperious Tigers complete historic series win in South Africa
After that South Africa couldn’t build any big partnerships and started to lose wickets at regular intervals. Bangladesh’s medium-pacer Taskin Ahmed was once again rising up as the main threat for the South African batting lineups. His variation of bowling which includes pace, bounce, and nice length ball caused a lot of problems to the opposition batters. The tall pacer got rewarded for his good work with the ball as he picked up five wickets in the match. He also became the first pace bowler of opposition teams to scalp five wickets in an innings in South Africa since 2012. His evolution as a bowler and dedication to the game is really inspiring to the young generation of cricketers. Apart from him, Shakib Al Hasan bagged two wickets.
Following that, South Africa were unable to form any significant partnerships and began to lose wickets at regular intervals. Taskin Ahmed of Bangladesh once again emerged as the biggest danger to the South African batting lines. His bowling technique, which included pace, bounce, and a beautiful length ball, gave the opposition batters a lot of trouble. The tall pacer was rewarded for his excellent bowling performance with five wickets in the contest. He was also the first opposition pace bowler to take five wickets in an innings in South Africa since 2012. His development as a bowler and commitment to the game are truly inspirational to the next generation of cricketers. Shakib Al Hasan also took two wickets for Bangladesh.
Read Tremendous Taskin takes five as Bangladesh wrap up SA for 154
South Africa were bowled out for 154 runs in 37 overs. South Africa's leading scorer was Janneman Malan, who made 39 runs.
Bangladesh chased down the low target in just 26.3 overs, making the match completely one-sided. Captain Tamim Iqbal was brilliant and aggressive with the bat from the beginning of the series decider. He stayed unbeaten with 87* off 82 and ensured Bangladesh won by a big margin. The Tamim-Litton opening pair contributed 127 runs in 20.5 overs, virtually securing the match for the tigers. Litton scored 48 runs before losing his wicket in the 21st over to Keshav Maharaj. After his departure, the Tamim-Shakib pair led Bangladesh to a historic series triumph over South Africa.
Read Bangladesh bowl first in series decider vs South Africa
SA vs BAN 3rd ODI 2022: Player of the Match
Right-handed medium-pacer Taskin Ahmed was awarded player of the match for his superb bowling effort in the contest. He got five wickets in the match, allowing Bangladesh to seize control of the South African innings. Taskin also made history by being the first Bangladeshi bowler to take five wickets in an innings in South Africa. The player of the match award was well-deserved for this talented pacer. In addition, Taskin was named player of the series after taking eight wickets in the three-match ODI series.
Way Forward
Bangladesh men's cricket team defeated Afghanistan in a limited-overs series before traveling to South Africa for a three-match One-Day International series. Therefore, the team was confident that they could upset the hosts for at least one game. The BCB has also added a couple of former South African players to the coaching panel in an attempt to secure the first-ever triumph in South Africa. However, prior to the series, the majority of people didn't think Bangladesh would stun South Africa and win a historic series. Bangladesh achieved an unthinkable result in the ODI series against South Africa thanks to some outstanding individual performances. Hopefully, this remarkable feat will boost Bangladesh's confidence ahead of the Test series, which begins on March 31.