An entire day’s play was lost for the third time in this series as heavy rain, caused by cyclone Komen, forced the umpires to abandon the second day of the Mirpur Test at 12 pm. The South African and Bangladesh players had not even arrived at the Shere Bangla Stadium and will now contest what is effectively a four-day Test.
Bangladesh had ended the first day disappointingly after building a solid foundation with the bat, losing four wickets for 31 runs in the final session as Dale Steyn found substantial reverse swing. The hosts had squandered a good start that was marred only by Tamim Iqbal’s loose drive to become Steyn’s 400th Test wicket. Bangladesh will be concerned that none of their top or middle-order batsmen was able to convert a start into a century.
South Africa, on the other hand, came into their own as the first day progressed. Hashim Amla made use of his part-time bowlers, all of who impressed and kept the frontline pack fresh for forceful bursts. Dean Elgar, in particular, found sharp turn on a surface that was predicted to become worse as the match went on.
Batting will likely become more difficult so Bangladesh’s first-innings runs could prove crucial and they will want to add as many as they can when play gets underway on Saturday. South Africa still have the second new ball at their disposal and will hope to finish Bangladesh’s innings quickly and aim to bat once to seal a series whose score line remains 0-0, thanks largely to the rain.
