As the winning runs left the bat of Litton Das, the raucous crowd filled into the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium burst into excited cheers at the sight of their team completing a series victory over another highly-favoured opponent. After persistent losses against the South Africans over numerous years, finally they had achieved that elusive series triumph.
South Africa Stunned by Buoyant Bangladeshis
The limited overs series started off as expected for South Africa. Simple, comprehensive 52 and 31 run victories in the T20 format meant that South Africa got their tour off to a brilliant start. It was thought that, even in the ODI arena, South Africa would be far too strong for the Bangladeshis — a team they have had the better of on practically every occasion they have come face-to-face. By starting their visit on such a high note, they provided their fans with optimism; optimism that the ODI series would be another routine conquest for them. With their bowlers managing to take all 20 wickets in the two matches played and with their batting looking in ominous form, it seemed natural that such confidence would translate into the 50-over game.
When the first ODI took place on Friday, it certainly looked as though South Africa would continue to exert their dominance yet again. Completing an eight wicket victory after skittling Bangladesh out for 160, a star was born in Kagiso Rabada who captured six wickets including a hat-trick in his debut match. With such a brilliant individual performance inspiring the other bowlers, Bangladesh’s innings lasted 36.3 overs and South Africa completed a solid chase with notable knocks from De Kock, Du Plessis and Rossouw. One ODI down, two to go and while the morale was low amongst the Bangladeshis, confidence surged through the South African camp, which made the next two performances all the more baffling.
On Sunday 7th July, Bangladesh completed their first ODI victory over South Africa in eight years, and only the second in their history. A crushing seven wickets the margin of victory, with Soumya Sarkar playing a match-winning innings of 88 runs Bangladesh were looking in trouble at 24-2 after two early Rabada wickets. South Africa, however, could not lay the blame for the loss on the bowlers for their batsmen had been dismally destroyed for a measly 162 runs.
Like Bangladesh on Friday, South Africa’s batsmen were simply poor, lacking any substantial partnerships which would allow them to accumulate a defendable score. Amla chalked it down to them having a bad day and not applying themselves. It was presumed that on Wednesday they would muster up a display usually associated with a team of their quality, especially with the series being on the line.
It’s safe to say that barely any Protea fan saw today’s performance coming. When Hashim Amla made the decision to bat, the South African public hoped that they would amass a score far higher than the one they managed to stutter to on Sunday. The loss of four early wickets, however, put all those thoughts to bed and as the rain came peltering down after 23 overs with the score at 78-4. South Africans were despondent at their team’s abject performance. When the match was shortened to 40 overs, it meant that they only had 17 overs to increase that minimal score. It initially looked as though Duminy and Miller were rebuilding the innings quite steadily, but the loss of Miller’s wicket and numerous others at regular intervals meant that South Africa’s innings ended on a paltry 168-9.
With Duckworth-Lewis coming into play, Bangladesh’s revised target was 170, a target which seemed far from enough when Iqbal and Sarkar got off to a brilliant, brisk start. With 68 runs already accumulated in ten overs and the opening pair batting with complete ease, South Africa would have to pull off an immaculate bowling display to grab the game back into their grasp. Alas, it was not to be and despite losing the superb Sarkar for 90 runs, Bangladesh sailed to victory by nine wickets inside a mere 26.1 overs. After years of being beaten by the South Africans, the Bangladeshis had got their revenge, dismantling the Proteas and putting on two superb displays to win the series after being 1-0 down on Friday. Having just achieved series victories over India and Pakistan, this latest scalp proves that they are now a force to be reckoned with, and are no longer the minnows they were once considered.
While Bangladesh can revel in their glory during the five day break before the Test series, South Africa have a lot to ponder. How did they perform so poorly after starting the series with aplomb? Was it complacency or are there more serious issues which need to be addressed? Come Tuesday, they need to be back to their best against the resilient and now confident Bangladeshis as they turn to the format they excel in most, Test Cricket. While South Africa as the best-ranked test team are expected to win, with the Bangladeshi’s rapid improvement, it would be a crime to disregard their chances.
