South Africa make brisk start in opening Test

Johannesburg, Jul 19 (PTI) In a sporting gesture, the South African cricket team interacted with young patients at a hospital in Bangladesh on worldwide Nelson Mandela Day during their ongoing tour of the country.

Bangladesh cricket coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes the biggest challenge for his side in the Test series against South Africa will be to counter their armoury of world class bowlers.

In the event of a 1-1 series draw, Bangladesh would rise to 47 points, while South Africa would drop to 125 points. “We have to play big moments intelligently as well”, Hathurusingha said.

“The team is in a good rhythm”.

“He needs to be given some playing time at the top but like I said, the best place to bat in the subcontinent is at the top”, said the 39-year-old.

The Proteas surprisingly lost the ODI cricket series in Bangladesh, but who cares.

“I am very confident with our Test team as well”.

The Proteas have another opportunity to extend their nine-year unbeaten run away from home when they take on Bangladesh in the first Test match in Chittagong on Tuesday.

Bangladesh will hope to carry the momentum from their ODI series win into the tests against South Africa, who have defeated them comprehensively in all eight of their meetings in the longest format of the game.

In the interim, he gave up the match-winning six that sent South Africa crashing out of the Cricket World Cup semifinals against New Zealand – and he performed poorly in the T20 format with Sunrisers Hyderabad of the Indian Premier League, appearing in just six matches and taking only three wickets.

Shakib is the leading all-rounder on either side in the ICC Player Rankings for Test All-rounders heading into the two-match series and he goes into the series with a 40-point advantage over Philander, who is in second on 341 points.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das(w), Taijul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Mustafizur Rahman, Jubair Hossain.

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South Africa: Stiaan Van Zyl, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton De Kock, Dale Steyn, Simon Harmer and Morne Morkel.