Mohammad Shahid puts in the yards, Bangladesh reap the benefits

Mohammad Shahid bowled a tremendous spell against South Africa on Day One of the first Test at Chittagong. Though he ended without a wicket, it was his bowling that resulted in both wickets that fell in the second session. Shahid bowled seven maiden overs on the trot on either side of lunch, and at one stage had bowled 13 overs for just 19 runs with nine maidens.  Shahid also saw two catches go down off his bowling. Bangladesh ended up bowling South Africa out for 248 with Mustafizur Rahman taking 4 for 37 on Test debut. Shiamak Unwalla feels that while Shahid’s contribution with the ball in the first innings will perhaps be forgotten with time, his unquantifiable impact is worth noting. READ: Bangladesh clean out South Africa for 248 on Day 1 of 1st Test at Chittagong

When Stiaan van Zyl slapped one boundary through covers and another to fine leg in the first over of the series, it seemed the writing was on the wall. South Africa showed a lot of positive intent, with van Zyl and Dean Elgar quickly getting to 58 by the 14th over. Even after van Zyl was dismissed for a 49-ball 34, Elgar and Faf du Plessis continued on their way. South Africa reached 104 for 1 by lunch, and looked set to treble their score by stumps. By lunch, Shahid had bowled seven overs for 19 runs. SCORECARD: Bangladesh vs South Africa, 1st Test at Chittagong, Day 1

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Jubair Hossain and Shahid resumed after lunch. Each man started with a maiden. Jubair went for 20 in his next six overs. Shahid went for none. He bowled unwaveringly, keeping a tight line and ensuring that neither Elgar nor du Plessis were gifted free runs. By the end of 46 overs, South Africa had crawled to 132 for 1. In 18 overs after lunch they had scored a mere 28.

Shahid’s five overs immediately after lunch cost Bangladesh no runs. It was his tightness that added to South Africa’s pressure, and ultimately led to Elgar playing a careless shot away from his body. Three balls later du Plessis was done in by a typical arm-ball from Shakib Al Hasan. UPDATES: Bangladesh vs South Africa, 1st Test at Chittagong, Day 1

South Africa’s tea-time score of 165 for 3 looked stable, but it was far from what they had expected. There were two new batsmen at the crease, and after scoring 104 in the first session they could manage a mere 61 runs in 29 overs for the loss of two wickets. The scorecard said that Taijul and Shakib were the wicket-takers, but it was Shahid’s dogged spell that opened the doors through which Mustafizur Rahman and Jubair Hossain paraded through after tea. READ: Mustafizur Rahman takes 3 wickets in 4 balls

(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)