Kagiso Rabada gave South Africa an immediate advantage on Sunday by striking on the opening legal ball of the match at the Wanderers. Mahfijul Islam, who was called into the squad as an injury replacement for Shadman Islam, edged to the slips without scoring. Rabada followed up by removing Mominul Haque for a duck and dismissing captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, leaving Bangladesh reeling at 22/3 after winning the toss.
Key points
South Africa gained early dominance in the opening Test by dismantling the visiting top o…: South Africa gained early dominance in the opening Test by dismantling the visiting top order immediately after losing the toss.
Bangladesh faced an uphill battle to recover after their opening batting lineup collapsed…: Bangladesh faced an uphill battle to recover after their opening batting lineup collapsed to 2/2 within the initial overs.
The visiting side continues to struggle historically against South Africa, having recorde…: The visiting side continues to struggle historically against South Africa, having recorded fourteen losses and two draws in sixteen prior matches.
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Bangladesh debutant Mahfijul Islam endured a nightmare start to his Test career, while South Africa speedster
Kagiso Rabada etched his name into the record books with a rare first-ball dismissal in the opening Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Mahfijul was dismissed for a golden duck off the very first legal delivery of the match, becoming the first Bangladesh batter and only the fourth player in Test history to be dismissed off the opening ball of a Test on debut.
The left-handed batter, drafted into the playing XI as a replacement for the injured Shadman Islam, edged a delivery from Rabada that seamed away and was caught in the slips. His dismissal handed Rabada an immediate breakthrough and left Bangladesh reeling at the start of their innings.
The unwanted record had previously been registered by South Africa's Jimmy Cook, who fell to Kapil Dev in Durban in 1992, West Indies' Leon Garrick, dismissed by Allan Donald in Kingston in 2001, and Afghanistan's Abdul Malik, who was dismissed by Blessing Muzarabani in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
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The Jillaroos reaffirmed their global dominance by routing their trans-Tasman rivals in Brisbane, effectively deciding the contest before the break through clinical opportunism. This commanding performance extended a multi-year reign over the Kiwi Ferns in international deciders. With the victory, Australian leadership celebrated multiple career milestones while leaving their opponents pledging to rebuild their competitiveness.
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