Proteas spinners wrap up crushing win

Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer bowled the Proteas to a 332-run victory on the fourth day of the second Test against Bangladesh at St George’s Park.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 80, losing their remaining seven wickets inside an hour.

Left-arm spinner Maharaj took 7-40 and off-spinner Harmer 3-34.

It was the second successive match in which the two spinners bowled unchanged through the fourth innings. It was also Maharaj’s second seven-wicket haul in successive matches after he took 7-32 in South Africa’s 220-run win in the first Test in Durban.

Three wickets fell in the first half hour in what for Bangladesh was a depressingly similar pattern to the first Test when they were bowled out for 53 after starting the last day on 11-3.

Resuming in a near-hopeless position at 27-3 after being set 413 to win, Bangladesh lost their fourth wicket just eight balls into the day’s play.

Mushfiqur Rahim went on a big drive against Maharaj and was smartly caught at slip by Proteas captain Dean Elgar for one.

Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque did not add to his overnight score of five, top-edging an attempted sweep to midwicket.

Yasir Ali slogged the fourth ball he received from Harmer to deep midwicket and Bangladesh were 44-6, having lost three wickets for 17 runs in 29 balls since the start of play.

Liton Das batted brightly, scoring 27 and sharing a stand of 25 with Mehidy Hasan, before leaping down the wicket against Maharaj to be stumped by Kyle Verreynne.

The last three wickets fell in the space of seven balls.

The Proteas do it again!

Keshav Maharaj (7-40) and Simon Harmer (3-34) takes seven wickets in the first hour of play to wrap up the match and the series. 2-0 to South Africa ✅ #SAvBAN pic.twitter.com/YtRwNBjipk

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 11, 2022

There were two changes to the Proteas team after Sarel Erwee and Wiaan Mulder tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday morning.

Khaya Zondo and Glenton Stuurman became the first Covid replacements in Test cricket since the ICC decided in June 2020 to allow substitutes in Test matches for players testing positive for coronavirus.

It was a first Test cap for specialist batsman Zondo, although he was unable to bat because both South African innings had been completed. Stuurman, with one previous cap, was not called on to bowl.