Bowlers, classy Sarkar levels the series with a seven wicket win- Bangladesh v South Africa 2nd ODI Review

Bowlers, classy Sarkar levels the series with a seven wicket win- Bangladesh v South Africa 2^nd ODI Review: After going down 2-0 in the T20 series and in the 1st ODI against the Proteas, the new Asian challengers bounce back to smash South Africa by seven wickets in the second ODI played at Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Bangladeshi bowlers were up on their mark right from the word go. The young pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman and part-timer Nasir Hossain claimed three wickets each and helped the hosts bundle out heavy-weights South Africans for a mere 162.

While a gutsy effort by opener Soumya Sarkar and World Cup hero Mahmudullah took Bangladesh to a seven wicket win. It also levels the series at 1-1, with a game left. If the hosts manage to get past the Proteas in the third and final ODI, this will be there fourth back-to-back series win on their home soil.

With the hosts producing some brilliant piece of bowling to redistrict the tourist for 162; a decent effort was required from the Bangladesh’s point of view looking at their recent heroics.

Bangladeshis though started off poorly with opening dasher Tamim Iqbal been cleaned up by last game’s magician K Rabada. Wicket-keeper batsman Litton Das after striking few hits to the boundary was again bowled by Rabada as the youngster continued to impress in his first series. Bangladesh was struggling at 2-24 with South Africa’s tail high with two early wickets.

The home side needed a mature effort from their batters to keep their hopes alive of another series win. Young opener Soumya Sarkar who had a brilliant run against India stood up and started the rescue work with experienced Mahmudullah. As both batsman played out the crucial time, while rotating the strike at will. Sarkar played his positive part while striking some clean hits in his unbeaten inning of 88 off 79, including 13 fours and one six.

Mahmudullah who didn’t feature in the India series, took some time to get going like he normally does, but a few glorious cover drives from the batsman brought back his magic touch. He played a decent hand of 50 off 64 before getting caught by Amla off Abbott’s delivery, with the hosts nearing the target at 159.

Soumya Sarkar finished the game in fine style with a six through his trademark slog sweep off leggie Imran Tahir. As the home side took the game by seven wickets and importantly leveled the series 1-1.

Batting first, Proteas struggled to keep their momentum going from the last game, with their batters failing horribly. Only Faf du Plessis (41) and Behardien (36) gave a good account of themselves to give the visitors something to bowl with.

Mustafizur Rahman made use of the off-cutter and hit the Yorker length frequently, Mashrafe Mortaza threatened with back-of-a-length deliveries but it was Rubel Hossain – recalled for this match – who stood out. He mixed up his lengths and maintained tight lines to exploit South Africa’s uncertainty and expose the batsmen’s struggles with timing. Part-timer Nasir Hossain also chipped in with three wickets. As the host bundled South Africa for 162 in 45.6 overs.

Brief Scores:

South Africa- 162 all out (Faf du Plessis 41, Behardien 36, Nasir Hossain 3-26)

Bangladesh 167 for 3 in 27.4 overs (Soumya Sarkar 88*, Mahmudullah 50, Rabada 2-45) won by 7 wickets.