Ken Borland

Senior Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj on Saturday backed Wiaan Mulder as the all-rounder South Africa need after the pair dovetailed superbly to dominate the second day of the second Test against Bangladesh at St George’s Park.

Mulder and Maharaj shared an 81-run seventh-wicket partnership that laid the groundwork for the Proteas posting a formidable 453 in their first innings, and Mulder was then the star bowler with three for 15 in six overs as Bangladesh were reduced to 139 for five by stumps.

While Maharaj lashed a punishing 84 off just 95 balls, Mulder scored a determined 33. It was a welcome return to form for the talented 24-year-old, who was heavily criticised for his performance in the first Test.

“Wiaan has taken a lot of flak recently, but that innings he played in the second innings of the Test we won in New Zealand showed his capability,” Maharaj pointed out.

“He might not be scoring fifties but he is sharing very good partnerships, like he showed again today. He really knuckled down and he was unfortunate to get out to a really good ball.

“Wiaan played extremely well with Kyle Verreynne first thing in the morning and that allowed me to play with freedom.

“And then he showed his value with the swinging ball. I think today will be a huge confidence boost for him and he adds variety to our attack and batting depth,” Maharaj said.

Having made his career-best score and his fourth Test half-century, Maharaj said the lower-order needed to score runs consistently in order for the team to be able to field five bowlers.

“We have good depth to our batting, it’s just about us putting our hands up on a consistent basis and giving the coaches and selectors the confidence to play a more balanced attack.”

The KZN Dolphins star admitted that he had wasted a great opportunity for his maiden Test century, being bowled by fellow left-arm spinner Taijul Islam when he stepped down the wicket and tried to heave the ball over the leg-side. Maharaj said he should have aimed for long-on rather than cow-corner.

“When you get so close, it always crosses your mind about getting the hundred,” the maker of two first-class centuries said. “It was a golden opportunity for me, but the adrenalin is going.

“I probably should have gone straight like I had been doing before,” Maharaj said.

What a day for Keshav Maharaj and Wiaan Mulder at St George’s Park on Saturday as they were at the forefront of South Africa posting 453 and then reducing Bangladesh to 139 for five on the second day of the second Test.

The pair first of all shone with the bat and came within nine runs of breaking a record set way, way back in 1895/96. Mulder and Maharaj added 81 for the seventh wicket and there is surely no older record in South African cricket than the St George’s Park seventh-wicket partnership record of 89 between Arthur Hill and Sammy Woods for England.

The dismissal of Kyle Verreynne in the seventh over of the day, bowled by Khaled Ahmed for 22, brought Mulder and Maharaj together at 300 for six and Maharaj led the way as he gave the Bangladesh bowlers what-for in a punishing innings of 84 off just 95 balls, with nine fours and three sixes.

Mulder, who has struggled with the bat lately, took his time to get in and only opened his account after 22 deliveries. But he grew in confidence and it took a tremendous delivery from left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, drifting the ball into the right-hander and then turning it sharply away to hit off-stump, to dismiss him and end the marvellous stand with Maharaj.

Taijul also dimisssed Maharaj, who made his career-best score and his fourth half-century in Tests, as the batsman stepped down the wicket and tried to heave the spinner over the leg-side; the aggression was what made Maharaj successful on Saturday, so he was justified in continuing with the positive approach.

Sensible batting is what Simon Harmer (29) and Lizaad Williams (13) then brought to the crease, South Africa going past 450 as the last five wickets added 182 runs.

Taijul was the best of the Bangladesh bowlers with an impressive six for 135 in 50 overs; changes of pace is what made him tricky to play, especially since the pitch was taking turn.

Despite Duanne Olivier getting late movement with the new ball and having Mahmudul Hasan Joy caught at slip in the first over of the innings for a duck, you would have thought the pitch was a road as Tamim Iqbal (47) and Nazmul Hossain Shanto (33) then set about the bowling.

They added 79 in just 20 overs and it took the introduction of seamer Mulder to break the partnership.

Mulder, who ended the day with brilliant figures of three for 15 in six overs, showed just how useful his medium-pace can be on this sort of pitch, bowling wicket-to-wicket and getting considerable movement into the left-handers.

Both Tamim and Shanto were trapped plumb lbw by Mulder as they stepped across their stumps and tried to work the ball across the line.

Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque’s miserable series continued when Mulder had him lbw as well, in similar fashion, for just 6.

Olivier, who justified his selection with some pleasing bowling, then returned to bowl Liton Das (11), jagging the ball back through the gate.

Mushfiqur Rahim is well set on 30 not out and Yasir Ali has 8.

South Africa’s top-order enjoyed themselves on a greenish St George’s Park pitch that turned out to be pretty affable, but they were generous in giving away their wickets when well-set as they ended the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh on Friday on 278 for five.

Even under heavily overcast skies, the new ball did a bit but nothing untoward and the Bangladesh spinners had to rely on changes in pace and flight rather than turn to pose a threat. So although it was a most solid display of batting by the Proteas, with three batsmen recording half-centuries and another making 42, they will be disappointed that no-one kicked on to a really big score.

Captain Dean Elgar won the toss and elected to bat, and he flourished in the morning session as he and Sarel Erwee (24) put on 52 for the first wicket, and Elgar and Keegan Petersen then added another 81 for the second wicket either side of lunch.

Elgar had reached a fluent 70 off just 89 deliveries, his third successive half-century continuing his fine run of form, when he presented a thin edge to wicketkeeper Liton Das off left-arm spinner Taijul Islam’s impressive arm-ball, but Petersen and Temba Bavuma initially found the going easy as they added another 51 for the third wicket.

Bangladesh’s bowling tightened up considerably though after a 26-minute rain delay and they were rewarded with the wicket of Petersen for a bright, stroke-filled 64, DRS showing he was lbw to Taijul despite coming down the pitch as he missed a leg-side flick.

South Africa took tea on 199 for three and Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton were able to entrench themselves for most of the last session, adding 83 for the fourth wicket.

Rickelton continued to impress as he improved on his career-best of 39 not out in his debut Test last week, delicately treading the fine line between his natural stroke-playing intent and responsibility towards the team cause. He did eventually fall to a reverse-sweep on 42, but it was a stroke he had played well previously. But this time he just played too early at Taijul, the ball coming off his glove and looping to slip.

Bavuma had looked in control as he spent three-and-a-half hours at the crease, scoring 67, but the new ball winkled him out. The second over with the change of ball saw Khaled Ahmed produce a fine lifting delivery just outside off-stump, Bavuma defended off the back foot but edged low to first slip, where Nazmul Hossain Shanto scooped up an excellent catch.

Kyle Verreynne (10*) and Wiaan Mulder (0*) then managed to stay at the crease for the last 24 minutes before stumps.

Taijul justified his recall to the team as he took three for 77 in 32 overs and the hardworking Khaled claimed two for 59 in 20 overs.

Proteas captain Dean Elgar said on Thursday that “If we want success then we need consistency in selection” as he indicated that much the same South Africa team will take the field at St George’s Park on Friday for the second Test against Bangladesh.

For the first time since 1970, South Africa played two frontline spinners in a home Test during last week’s thumping win over Bangladesh in the first Test in Durban, and Elgar said he expected conditions to be similar. So Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer look set to both play again and even struggling all-rounder Wiaan Mulder remains in contention for the starting XI.

“If we want success we need consistency in selection and it’s normally a similar sort of pitch here as it is at Kingsmead,” Elgar said. “So I don’t think there will be many changes.

“I like the adaptability of our attack and I would love to have used Wiaan more. But when we saw the conditions, we decided to keep the pressure on with our world-class spinners.

“It might be different here in PE, especially if the ball swings, and then we’re more likely to use Wiaan to showcase his skills. The wind is a massive factor and it hasn’t stopped blowing since we got here.

“If it comes over the scoreboard then the locals call it the ‘Swing Wind’. But the players need to adapt to whatever circumstances come their way and the seamers might have a lot more work in this Test,” Elgar said.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, have apparently lodged a formal complaint with the ICC over the Proteas’ alleged sledging during the first Test, which they say was ignored by the South African umpires.

Elgar, in typically hard-nosed fashion, said the tourists have to harden up to the realities of Test cricket.

“It’s not justified what they said towards the South African side. We do play hard, but we were just giving back what we got. And there was certainly no swearing, we do everything with dignity.

“They need to harden up and play at the Test level of intensity. It’s Test cricket and they must dry their eyes. There’s a lot that’s not seen, there are off-camera incidents as well.

“But we would not intentionally intimidate a young player with language, but with skill. When I started Test cricket, the environment was much harsher than it is now.

“We still want to win though, so if some mind-games can help you with that then why not use them? Maybe Bangladesh got caught up in the moment a bit … ” Elgar said.