Ken Borland

The Proteas summoned up the most appropriate of responses to their shock defeat in the series opener as they hammered Bangladesh by seven wickets with 12.4 overs to spare in the second ODI at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Having been beaten by 38 runs at Centurion, the Proteas were led to victory by their big guns on Sunday, with Kagiso Rabada and Quinton de Kock both producing special performances.

Rabada’s outstanding new-ball burst reduced Bangladesh to 34/5, and the tourists needed Afif Hossain’s defiant 72 off 107 balls to get them to a respectable 194/9 on a Wanderers pitch that was tricky to bat on in the early stages with inconsistent bounce.

Bounce was the chief weapon of Rabada, who was hostile and controlled as he took 5/39, removing key batsmen Liton Das (15), Shakib al-Hasan (0) and Yasir Ali (2). Rabada, languid but fiery, then claimed the vital wickets of Afif and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (38) in the 46^th over, both batsmen being well-set to make merry at the death as they had already added 86 for the seventh wicket.

Lungi Ngidi (10-2-34-1) and Wayne Parnell (2.5-0-6-1) also fitted the bill as anti-social fast bowlers, but left-arm quick Parnell had just taken the fifth wicket, trapping Mushfiqur Rahim lbw for 11, when he limped off the field with a hamstring injury, never to return.

It meant, with Aiden Markram left out of the starting XI as De Kock returned and Kyle Verreynne kept his place, that South Africa, with only five frontline bowlers, had to employ the friendly, part-time seam of Temba Bavuma.

The Proteas captain actually did a very tidy job, conceding just 22 runs in his 6.1 overs, and he should have had a maiden white-ball international wicket but Janneman Malan dropped Miraz on 21 at long-on. Rassie van der Dussen was even pressed into service to bowl the penultimate over and his gentle off-spin did snare a first wicket as 12^th man Markram caught Shoriful Islam (2) at long-on.

Regular spinner Tabraiz Shamsi showed his omission from the first ODI was a mistake as he claimed 1/26 in 10 excellent overs, getting the wicket of Mahmudullah (25), caught at leg-slip, to end a threatening sixth-wicket stand of 60 with Afif.

De Kock’s dashing approach at the top of the innings then put South Africa on the path to a comfortable victory from the outset, the left-hander stroking a dazzling 62 off just 41 balls, with nine fours and two sixes.

Fellow opener Malan scored 26 as 86 runs were briskly put on for the first wicket.

Coming together at 94/2 in the 16^th over, Verreynne and Bavuma then comfortably ticked off most of the remaining runs required with a third-wicket partnership of 82.

Bavuma was caught on the boundary off Afif’s off-spin for a well-played 37, but Verreynne finished the job with a classy 58 not out off 77 deliveries.

Marizanne Kapp has proven her ability to keep her wits about her when everyone else is losing their heads at the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, but South Africa’s star all-rounder is confident some of the other batters will step up this week and offer more support to banker Laura Wolvaardt.

Kapp’s heroics at the death mean South Africa go into the third week of the World Cup unbeaten. But it is a massive week for the Proteas with matches against Australia (Tuesday), the West Indies (Thursday) and India (Sunday) to come. One more win will confirm their place in the semi-finals.

Wolvaardt has led the way for the South African batting with three half-centuries in four innings, but Kapp and captain Sune Luus are the only other Proteas to have scored more than 100 runs in their four matches.

“We have been a bit lucky, we’ve got away with a few games where experience pulled us through,” Kapp admitted on Sunday. “We are aware that we have not played our best cricket yet.

“But I am sure we will come back stronger this week. The bowling has been decent, because it’s not easy bowling on these pitches which are a lot slower than we are used to.

“But if our batting can really come to the party then that will help a lot. Wolvie has been brilliant, you’re still calm as long as she’s in the middle. She’s amazing to have, a banker for us.

“Sune has supported her in a couple of brilliant partnerships, but we need a few more batters to put up their hands and that will get us to 280-300 and the perfect game,” Kapp said.

Affectionately known as Kappie, the 32-year-old has certainly punctuated this World Cup with some superb matchwinning efforts. She puts it down to backing her preparation and skills.

“A lot of times in the past I did doubt myself, but preparation is really big for me, I need to know I’ve done the work ahead of a game. So I back the way I prepare,” Kapp said.

“But all the T20 leagues I play in around the world really help too, they give me confidence, playing with the best players in the world and on the biggest stages. It means I back my skills as well.

“And it helps as an all-rounder to be able to make up with the other skill if the one doesn’t go so well,” Kapp said.

South Africa’s pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi have the reputation of being ruthless sharks in their own waters but they were rather toothless in the first ODI against Bangladesh at SuperSport Park on Friday night, leading captain Temba Bavuma to admit that “conversations will have to be had”.

Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, Bavuma had to wait until the 22^nd over until the first wicket came, and even then it was delivered by medium-pacer Andile Phehlukwayo.

Given an opening-stand platform of 95, Shakib Al-Hasan and Yasir Ali were able to make merry and take Bangladesh to 314/7, their highest ever score in South Africa.

In stark contrast to the Proteas attack, Bangladesh pacemen Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam were able to take early wickets and South Africa fell 38 runs short despite the heroics of David Miller (79) and Rassie van der Dussen (86).

“In the first 10-15 overs in the field I felt we were in control, but in the middle overs we were not on-point in terms of our plans or adjusting to conditions,” Bavuma said after the first ever home loss to Bangladesh.

“The wickets were what was lacking and that was always going to make it tough. It meant Bangladesh always had an in-batter who was able to take risks. We conceded nearly 180 runs in the last 20 overs.

“That meant Bangladesh then had momentum going into our innings. Conversations will have to be had because the seamers we had can all take wickets, that’s generally our game-plan,” Bavuma said.

Given how comprehensively his team beat the Proteas in the opening game of the three-match series, Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal was hardly being boastful when he said “We can win the series. We have to give ourselves every chance.”

Bavuma knows the Proteas have to show their pride in a do-or-die Pink Day encounter at the Wanderers on Sunday if they are to avoid an embarrassing series loss coming off their 3-0 win over India.

“Sunday is now simply a must-win match and we have to up our game in all departments. If we do that then things like Super League points will look after themselves.

“Just because we are playing against Bangladesh, it is no guarantee that the points will just come to us,” Bavuma said.

No-one should be left in any doubt about that after the goings-on in Centurion on Friday night.

Shakib al-Hasan ensured that there was no shelter for a lacklustre South African bowling attack as his scintillating 77 carried Bangladesh to their highest ever total on South African soil and thereafter their first victory here as they beat the Proteas by 38 runs in the first ODI at Centurion on Friday night.

Shakib’s classy 64-ball innings led Bangladesh to 314/7 after they were sent in to bat, well above average (276) for a day/night game at SuperSport Park and the tourists’ second-highest score against South Africa anywhere, behind their winning 330/6 in the World Cup match at the Oval in 2019.

Shakib came to the wicket in the 22^nd over after openers Tamim Iqbal (41) and Liton Das (50) both faced 67 deliveries and gave Bangladesh a solid start by putting on 95 for the first wicket off 133 deliveries.

Shakib provided tremendous impetus as he dominated the middle overs with wonderfully clean striking and a plucky, pugnacious attitude that saw him back himself to take on the short-pitched deliveries and also to improvise cheekily as well.

He had the perfect ally in Yasir Ali, who, having scored just a single and a duck in his previous two ODI innings, made his maiden half-century, also landing some great blows in a nifty 50 off 43 balls. Shakib and Yasir added 115 for the fourth wicket off just 83 deliveries.

If the Proteas were to harbour any hopes of making what would have been the second-highest total ever batting second at Centurion, then they needed a similarly solid top-order display.

But instead they slumped to 36/3 as Taskin Ahmed (10-1-36-3) and left-armer Shoriful Islam (8-0-47-2) bowled with tremendous fire and energy up front.

It was in stark contrast to the Proteas bowlers who only took their first wicket in the 22^nd over, and then leaked 91 runs in the last 10 overs. One imagines the wicket-taking skills of wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi may well be employed in the second ODI, while unavoidable questions will continue to be asked about the exclusion of Sisanda Magala, arguably South Africa’s most skilful death bowler, on fitness grounds.

The determined duo of skipper Temba Bavuma (31) and Rassie van der Dussen attempted to rebuild the innings with their fourth-wicket stand of 85, but Bavuma was bounced out by the fiery Shoriful.

Van der Dussen battled on with characteristic tenacity, adding another 70 with David Miller, but he was caught at deep backward square-leg off Taskin for 86 off 98 balls.

There is no more passionate finisher of innings than Miller, but he was left with way too much to do on his own, his sumptuous 79 off 57 balls deserving more support from his team-mates.

Keshav Maharaj (23) and Lungi Ngidi (15*) hit three sixes between them as they had some fun at the death with a 34-run last-wicket stand that took South Africa to 276 all out.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz benefited from the wild slog at the end to claim 4/61, but the damage had been done by his splendid pace bowlers.