Bangladesh vs. South Africa 2nd Test: Does Bangladesh Still Have Any Chance?

What’s wrong with the Bangladesh Cricket team? Does the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have any idea? After a disastrous Test and T20 series with India, the home series against South Africa was a ready platform to bounce back, as the Bangladeshi tigers are always good at Dhaka and Chattogram in all formats. 

But what has been happening till the second day of the second match is not indicating anything positive. The game seems an awful experience for the bowlers and a complete surrender by the batters. 

Let’s see how things are going and predict what can happen next. 

Expectations before the Match

Bangladesh cricket’s journey has not been smooth in history. Even in its golden age, Bangladesh couldn’t show any consistency. Yet, in recent times, the series against Pakistan was memorable, as the tiger whitewashed Pakistan at Pakistan’s home. Though the series against India didn’t reflect any potential, the series against South Africa was a hope for Bangladesh to prove itself again. 

Bangladesh started poorly in the first match against South Africa but recovered from the damage and took the game to the fifth day. At one point, the team also had hope. Thus, the second test was a chance to start fresh and level the series. 

Bad News at the Beginning

Though performed poorly in India, Liton Das is one of the most reliable batters for Bangladesh in test format. But he is out of the second match for fever. Besides, Jaker Ali, who played well in the second innings of the first match, is also out due to having a concussion injury. 

Apart from this, Shaki Al Hasan, one of the most successful players in batting and bowling, is unavailable due to political and other critical issues. Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the current captain, also expressed his intention to leave captaincy recently. All these things have undoubtedly impacted the team morale negatively. 

The Toss

The match is scheduled at Chattogram Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, known as batting heaven! No surprise, South Africa has chosen to bat first after winning the toss. 

1^st Innings of South Africa

It is now proven that South Africa did vigorous homework before coming to Bangladesh, especially how to bat on the Bangladeshi surface! With excellent batting performance, they proved it in Mirpur, and now they are doing it again in Chattogram! 

Though Aiden Markram, the captain, couldn’t play long innings, his partner Tony De Zorzi played an excellent knock and ended at 177! Yes, it’s a regret that he couldn’t reach the double-century mark, but what he did for the team has laid the foundation for the match. Tristan Stubb’s 106 in 198 balls also contributed significantly to the team. Wiaan Mulder, another Centurian from South Africa, got run out, unfortunately, at 105. After losing six wickets, South Africa declared their innings at 575. 

While Bangladeshi fast bowlers could have found something to utilize, experienced spinner Taijul Islam took five valuable wickets in this challenging situation while Nahid Rana took another wicket. However, Mehedy Miraz and Hasan Mahmud remained wicketless after bowling 39 and 23 overs, respectively. 

Bangladesh Batting Innings

Bangladesh came to bat with a commitment to accomplish a mammoth task. The pitch is batting-friendly, and they need to carry the bat as long as possible. But the batters didn’t show any intent with their performance. Sadman Islam, the young Bangladeshi opener, has yet to show any convincing performance, though the board still relies on him. But frustrating again, Sadman went after playing only six balls and scoring nothing. 

While Mahmudul Joy was successful in the first test with his sensible and patient batting, he got out after scoring only ten runs. Zakir Hasan, another young batter also sacrificed his wicket after scoring only two runs in 8 balls. 

Considering the situation, Bangladesh sent Hasan Mahmud, the specialized bowler, to save the team for the last few overs, but he failed to perform the job as he also got out by Keshab Maharaj. 

For South African bowlers, this is like a celebration of wickets! Where Bangladeshi fast bowlers couldn’t do anything, Kagiso Rabada, the experienced pacer of South Africa, took two wickets within just three overs, sacrificing only eight runs. Dane Paterson and Keshav Maharaj took one wicket each, making it harder for Bangladesh. 

What can Happen Next? 

Bangladesh’s morning session on the third day of the test match will be critical. They still need 376 runs to save the follow-on. If Bangladesh continues batting like they did today, then such a scenario and a defeat by innings are inevitable. 

However, there are still some positive things Bangladesh can focus on. Firstly, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the skipper, is on the crease, while Mominul Haque, one of the most experienced and test-specialized batters, is with him. If these two can bat well, then Bangladesh can hope for something better. Here to mention that Mushfiqur Rahim, the veteran batter, is also not on the crease yet. 

However, he is one of the rarest players of Bangladeshi batters who has shown fantastic consistency throughout his career. Ankon, a new one, is also in the squad for the first time, and it would be an excellent chance for him to prove his potential. Besides, Mehedy Miraz has been doing exceptionally well in the last few test matches, and he is expected to save Bangladesh again. 

While the focus is on how Bangladesh can recover from the damage already made, it is true that they still have a chance in this test match if they can bowl well. However, if they face the follow-on situation and face batting collapse again, thinking about bowling again is just a waste of time! 

Final Thoughts

Cricket is glorious because of its uncertainty. A few days back, one of the most robust test sides, India, faced a severe batting collapse against New Zealand. However, for Bangladesh, this collapse is happening too frequently. 

Yet, it is worth remembering that Bangladesh lost four wickets within twenty runs against Pakistan at their home and won it from that point. Since it’s the home and a defeat is so likely, Bangladesh has nothing to lose. Let’s see how they deal with this and can utilize the minimum chances they still have in hand.