Bangladesh Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim criticised his bowlers for letting the team down in the first Test against South Africa that ended with a massive 333-run defeat at Potchefstroom on Monday.
The bowlers were unable to produce a single breakthrough on the opening day, which put the Tigers on the back foot at the start of the game and they were unable to recover from it.
Although Bangladesh had fielded three pacers and an off-spinner in the game yet they had to remain content with just one run out on the opening day after opting to bowl first at Senwes Park.
The Proteas cashed in on Bangladesh’s innocuous bowling to score 496-3 before they declared their innings and despite the best effort of batsmen, they could not go anywhere near to it.
They scored 320 runs in the first innings, their best collection in South Africa, which still fell 176 runs short.
Though Bangladesh’s bowlers made few quick breakthroughs in the second innings, they were not enough to put South Africa under any kind of pressure.
‘Our bowlers let us down in the first innings,’ Mushfiq said in his post-match interview.
‘I did not know the wicket would be this flat. It was a flat track but they didn’t put the ball in the right areas,’ he added.
Bangladesh got a huge lifeline in the match when the South African pacer Morne Morkel left the field in the 11th over of the visitors’ second innings on day four and there were also some uncertainties about fifth day’s weather.
The third session of the fourth day could not take place due to rain, providing Bangladesh a brief respite after their third wicket fell for 49 runs.
With more rain predicted on the fifth day and a bowler short, South Africa were in a rush to warp-up things quickly.
All Bangladesh needed showing some patience, which they lacked agonisingly resulting in their dismissal for 90 runs in the second innings. This is their lowest total in fourth innings, lowering 138 against England at Chittagong in 2003.
They were also bowled out for less than 100 runs for the first time in 10 years, having suffered the ignominy in 2007 last time when they were bowled for their lowest ever total of 62 runs against Sri Lanka at Colombo.
Mushfiq insisted that they needed to be stronger than ever to overcome the situation professionally and expected his team-mates to perform well in the next match at Bloemfontein from October 6 to 10.
‘I cannot remember when the last time we were bowled out under 100.
‘Probably we will play good cricket in the next match. It could have been an opportunity but hopefully, we would go well in the next matches. As professionals we need to be mentally tough,’ he added.
-With New Age input
