The first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport in Chittagong. It looks like the hosts dominated the Test match as they bundled the Proteas batting lineup for a meagre total of 248 runs in the first innings.
South African skipper Hashim Amla said that although the match ended in a stalemate, they had plenty of positives to take from the game.
"Going in to the fourth day, we had a slight advantage. With Bangladesh set to bat on the last day, it would have been a really good Test match. If we had batted well and gotten a lead of around 250, I think it would have been a tough challenge for Bangladesh to chase on the last day. You don't have control on the rain but it was set up to be a good match," Amla told reporters.
South Africa bounced back and the match was evenly poised at some points of time.
"The openers batted really well and laid a good foundation for us, and obviously Temba (Bavuma) getting a good 50 as well. Faf (Du Plessis) was solid; there were contributions despite nobody getting a big score so it's a bit of confidence that guys can take into the next Test. On the bowling front, I thought our seamers tried exceptionally hard. The wicket was probably the best to bat on when Bangladesh were batting and to their credit they batted really well. Our seamers tried hard and I think they put in a good showing while Simon Harmer, who picked up a three-for, is turning out to be a good spinner for us," Amla added.
Amla and team had a hard time facing Mustafizur Rahman in the first innings. They would do well to find a way to tackle this youngster who shot to fame in no time in all the three formats of the game.
"It goes without saying, we've come all the way from South Africa so you want to be playing cricket," Amla said. "With these type of things you have no control so there is no use getting frustrated by the rain. The game was poised in our favour, I feel, but there is nothing we can do about it. Whether we have rain or not is immaterial for me, what counts is what we do when we are given the opportunity."
The second Test match will be played in the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday.
