South Africa v Bangladesh, 1st ODI - 5 Talking Points

Yet again in the tour, South Africa managed to hunt the Tigers down and humiliate them by handing a painful defeat in the first ODI. It was an utterly dominant, ruthless and prepotent display on cards from the Proteas as they ran through Bangladesh by 10 wickets, chasing down an above-par target of 279 posted by the visitors.

Kagiso Rabada’s menacing spell and Dane Pretorius’ second fiddle spell helped them tame the Bangladeshi batters. Yet, the visitors showed great fighting spirit and banking on Mushfiqur Rahim’s hundred, they posted a fighting total of 278 for the loss of 7 wickets. Many of their batsmen got good starts but failed to convert them into big ones.

Quinton de Kock is touted as the next big thing in cricket and he proved it yet again why to call him so. He pounded ferociously on the visitors and was well supported by a splendid century from Hashim Amla. Both the openers registered big scores and made an absolute mockery of the 279-run target. De Kock remained unbeaten on 168 off 145 balls, whilst Amla scored 110 in 112 balls.

Here are the five major talking points from the game

1. De Kock and Amla blend perfectly

Hashim Amla’s composed demeanor and Quinton de Kock’s belligerent approach against the bowlers is a perfect combination to embark the innings. Both these players showed how brilliant their pair is and they complimented each other beautifully. The pair chased down the target easily with both batsmen registering centuries.

2. A day of comebacks

Three marquee players in the fraternity made a comeback into International colors at Kimberly. Batting maestro AB de Villiers, all-rounder JP Duminy and the pride of Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan were back in the game after a long break. Whilst injuries and some other reasons debarred JP Duminy and AB de Villers from getting back, Shakib Al Hasan was on a break from International cricket.

3. Kagiso Rabada at his imperious best

Relentless hard work often pays off and Kagiso Rabada is a brilliant example for this. The way this 22-year-old is growing in stature is really inspirational and he has yet again provided a match-winning spell. In his four overs, he picked up 4 wickets and played a crucial role in ensuring Bangladesh don’t post a total in excess of 300.

4. Mushfiqur Rahim becomes the first Bangladeshi to score a hundred against South Africa

Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla’s centuries might’ve stolen the limelight and all the major headlines, but it was a brilliant effort from Mushfiqur Rahim’s willow, which propelled the Tigers to a score in excess of 270. He scored his 5th ODI hundred and most importantly, he became the first ever Bangladeshi to score a hundred against South Africa. He remained unbeaten on 110 off 116 balls, helping his side finish the innings on a positive note.

5. Record-breaking stuff all around

Quite a lot of records were put to bed on Sunday at Kimberly. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock’s partnership of 282* is the highest ever partnership in South African history for any wicket and also the highest ever for any wicket during a run chase in ODIs. Whilst Mushfiqur became the first ever Bangladeshi to smash a ton against the Proteas, De Kock registered the highest ever individual score at the Diamond Oval, Kimberly.