South Africa (Source – Getty Images)
South Africa defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets to win the first Test of the series in Dhaka. They bundled the hosts for 106 in the first innings as Bangladesh struggled to catch up. Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, and Keshav Maharaj picked up three wickets but despite that, the opening day did not end well for South Africa as they themselves lost six wickets for just 140 runs by the end of play.
However, Kyle Verreynne and Mulder stitched a terrific partnership of 119 runs to help South Africa take a significant lead. Verreynne scored 114 runs while Mulder made 54 runs, with the visitors managing a massive 202-run lead. In the second innings, Bangladesh batted much better but it was not enough after a poor show in the first.
The top-order failed for the second time in a row, exposing the middle order early. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali brought them back into the contest as the former amassed 97 runs while the latter scored 58, helping Bangladesh reach 307 to set up a target of 106 runs for South Africa.
The Proteas lost three wickets in the short chase but eventually won the game to take a crucial 1-0 lead and also improve their situation in the World Test Championship points table.
South Africa moves fourth on the WTC table
South Africa has now moved to number four on the WTC points table and they have a good chance of qualifying for the finals, given that India and Australia, the current top two, are set to face each other in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. South Africa will have to win their remaining matches.
Here’s the latest WTC 2023-25 Standings
Pos. | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Points | PCT (%) |
1 | India | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 98 | 68.06 |
2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 62.50 |
3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 55.56 |
4 | South Africa | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 40 | 47.62 |
5 | New Zealand | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 44.44 |
6 | England | 19 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 93 | 43.06 |
7 | Bangladesh | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 30.56 |
8 | Pakistan | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 25.93 |
9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 18.52 |
*Points as of October 24, 2024