[caption id="attachment_224079" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Hashim Amla celebrates his 50 runs during day 1 of the 1st Sunfoil Test match between South Africa and Bangladesh
Picture: Lee Warren / Gallo Images[/caption]
South Africa cricket captain Faf du Plessis showed his leadership shrewdness by declaring at tea of the second day of the first test in Potchefstroom on 496/3 in an ingenious move that prevented key Bangladesh batsman Tamim Igbal from opening the batting.
Du Plessis’s move disrupted Bangladesh’s batting plans as according to the rules, Igbal, who was off the field for 49 minutes before the tea break, could not assume his place at the top of the order.
Without Igbal, Bangladesh were forced to throw in Liton Das, who normally bats in the middle of the order, to open with Imrul Kayes despite the fact that he kept wicket for 146 overs, where they toiled for almost two days.
Not having the influential Igbal at the top, who could have helped to lay the foundation, had an impact on the slow start by the Tigers as they reached stumps of their first innings on 127/3 and trailing the Proteas by 369 runs.
Dean Elgar was sloppy as he gave Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim two chances after he dropped him twice while on six and 15 at slip from the bowling of spinner Keshav Maharaj.
After the early loss of Kayes and Das, Haque Mominul and Rahim embarked on a rebuilding mission and they constructed a partnership of 67 runs as the South African bowlers failed to find a breakthrough.
A break finally arrived when the dangerous Rahim departed shortly before 5pm when the ball took an inside edge onto his pads and into the safe hands of Markram from the bowling of Maharaj.
With about eight minutes of play remaining in the day, Bangladesh opted against a night watchman and introduced Igbal, who was sitting on 22 at stumps and will continue the rebuilding job with Mominul, who was on 28.
After 25 overs, Du Plessis introduced debutant Andile Phehlukwayo, who started his test career positively with a maiden over but ended the day without any wicket after two overs with four runs.
Before the declaration, Proteas opener Dean Elgar suffered personal misfortune as he became the 10th batsman in history and the first South African to be dismissed on 199 runs in test cricket.
The other wicket to fall for South Africa was that of Hashim Amla, who was dismissed in the third ball after lunch for 137 off 200 balls after a knock that included 17 boundaries and one maximum.
When South Africa declared on 496/3, Du Plessis and Temba Bavuma were looking solid on the crease on respective scores of 26 and 31and their partnership was standing on 51.