The three-day practice match between Bangladesh and Cricket South Africa Invitation XI ended in a draw after the Tigers showed a modest display on the final day at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Saturday.
The Tigers declared their second innings on 235-9 to set-up a target 229 runs for the Invitation XI in just one session but the hosts opted to go against it and accepted a draw.Both Bangladesh openers Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar didn’t come to bat in the second innings with some injury concern, though Thihan Chandramohan, the physio of the side hoped they would be fit before the first Test on September 28.
Resuming on overnight 6-0, Bangladesh lost Liton Das in the third over of the day as he could not utilise the opportunity of batting in the top-order, following up his first innings duck with just two.
Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque put up a partnership of 71 runs for the second wicket in 10.3 overs before Imrul was caught behind after scoring a well-made fifty.
Playing as an opener in place of Tamim, who pulled his muscles in the first innings, Imrul displayed some of his batting techniques though he failed to convert his fifty into a big one.
Imrul scored 51 runs off 54 balls with seven fours and a six in his favourite opening slot.
Mominul (33) and skipper Musfiqur Rahim (3) soon followed Imrul as the most experienced campaigner of the home side Shaun von Berg claimed both the wickets to leave the Tigers struggling at 96-4.
Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman tried to rebuild the innings and added 52 runs for the fifth wicket before Mahmudullah was caught for 15 runs.
Sabbir continued his good run in the match and had the best possible practice among the all Bangladeshi batsmen making his second fifty in the match.
The right-handed batsman, who scored unbeaten 58 runs in the first innings, made 67 runs off 98 balls before he was bowled by von Berg, the most successful bowler for the home side with 4-77 in the second innings.
The 25-year old batsman was delighted with the overall performances of players and hoped for a better result in the first Test.
‘This was our first practice match. Overall we have played really well,’ Sabbir told reporters after the end of final day’s play in Benoni.
‘This was a much better surface than our expectations. Some of us have played well, some got out in softballs which I think may not happen in the first Test. But it was a good preparation for us,’ he said, hoping to acclimatise with South African conditions.
‘Weather is good here. It’s kind of Bangladesh weather although there is a little bit of cold,’ said Sabbir. ‘I think we made enough practice for the adjustments and we had a good preparation. So I hope we will do well in the first Test and there will be a good result for us,’ he added.
The hard-hitting batsman revealed that the back-to-back fifties in the practice match would give him a great confidence.
‘Scoring runs is the most important of all. It is really important wherever I score runs,’ he said. ‘It will be a great boost for me as I scored two fifties in a match. I will try not being over-confident and focusing on how to score big runs after making fifties,’ he added.
Lower-order players Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed contributed 14, 14, 15 runs respectively to take Bangladesh’s score past 200 before they declared the innings.
-With New Age input
