Bangladesh bowlers spent decent time on the second day of three-day practice match as all the strike bowlers chipped in against Cricket South Invitation XI at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Friday.
Each of the four Bangladeshi pacers got off the mark with at least a wicket while spinner Mehedi Hasan complemented with one wicket to force the opponents declare their first innings on 313-8.
Bangladesh were 6-0 at stumps with Imrul Kayes (four not out) and Liton Das( two not out) opening the innings.
Earlier, on the first day, most of Bangladeshi batsmen had similar kind of batting practice as the Tigers declared their first innings with 306-7 in 74.1 overs thanks to well-made fifties from skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque and Sabbir Rahman.
After the hosts resumed on 21-1, pacer Subashis Roy gave them the first jolt on the second day as he trapped their opening batsman Yaseen Valli for 10.
Shafiul Islam, who finished the day with 2-61, soon gave the Tigers the third success in the innings after he made Leus du Plooy (4) caught behind to leave the home side tottering at 36-3.
Batsmen Zubayr Hamza tried to rebuild their innings with skipper Heinrich Klaasen (16) as they added 53 runs for the fourth wicket before Mustafizur Rahman broke the partnership by taking Klaasen’s wicket.
Taskin Ahmed removed Zubayr after he made a well-constructed 60 runs off 101 deleiveries.
Matthew Breetzke and Matthew Chirstensen made another attempt to rescue their side and put up 58 runs for the sixth wicket before spinner Mehedi trapped Breetzke for 44 runs.
Chirstensen (53) and Shaun Von Berg (59 not out) added 79 runs for the seventh wicket to give stability to the home side’s innings before
Shafiul took Chirstensen’s wicket.
Bangladesh pace bowling coach Courtney Walsh was pleased with the overall performances of the team in the practice match, adding that it would help them make the plans for the Test series better.
‘It’s ok. I mean its first game out. This is the last game before the first Test match,’ Walsh told reporters in Benoni.
‘They are all going right and we want to get them in shape to see who is ready and who is not to make our game plans for the first Test,’ the 54-year old former Caribbean pacer.
‘It’s good to get the game a bit of bowling and batting and we’ll also have practice sessions, so far so good and all we just want a little bit of consistency and that’s the work in progress,’ he added.
The Caribbean legend asked the pacers to bowl with good control and consistency along with variations if Bangladesh are to look forward getting a
good result from the Test series.
‘Obviously we have to go back to our key works, so all we have to do control and consistency that will be the key,’ he said.
‘If you are consistent to bowl in the right areas, that’s the way you can answer. As a team, the guys are hopeful to play some good cricket so if we can do what we are hoping, they have to support with consistency and good control, that’s all we want,’ he said.
‘They have to work with the variations. Although consistency is always going to be the key but variation comes into the play with the adjustment of the game when required,’ he added.
-With New Age input
