DHAKA, 2 May 2003 — Mohammad Rafique helped Bangladesh give a rare fighting display as South Africa scored 264-6 on the opening day of the second Test at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here yesterday.
The 32-year-old left-arm spinner took 4-59 as Bangladesh looked to redeem itself after going down by an innings and 60 runs in the first Test, their 17th loss in 18 matches since gaining Test status.
Rafique, whose best in two previous matches was 3-117 against India in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test at the same ground in November 2000, spun a web on a slow pitch with low bounce. He took the important wickets of Herschelle Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher as the visitors struggled after electing to bat.
Rafique, brought in for Manjural Islam, put Bangladesh in the game after seamer Tapash Baisya got the initial breakthrough by dismissing captain Graeme Smith. Rafique’s first victim was Gibbs, who succumbed under pressure as seamer Khaled Mahmud bowled a miserly spell from one end and the left-arm spinner tormented the batsmen from the other, varying both trajectory and speed.
Gibbs was caught at mid-on in a desperate attempt to break the shackles after an uncharacteristic 21 off 65 balls and Dippenaar followed soon after, caught bat-pad at silly point. McKenzie was trapped leg-before wicket early in the second session and then Rafique came back to castle Boucher, who was shaping for a square-drive off the backfoot.
South Africa was lent respectability by Jacques Rudolph and Mark Boucher, who scored 71 apiece and were involved in a 107-run stand for the fifth wicket when the team was struggling at 63-4.
Rudolph, who scored an unbeaten 222 for a rare double-century on debut in the first Test in Chittagong, hit 11 fours in his 138-ball essay.
Boucher, who was lucky to survive a chance on eight when wicketkeeper Mohammad Salim failed to stump him off leg-spinner Mohammad Ashraful, faced 134 balls and hit eight boundaries.
It was the wicketkeeper-batsman’s 13th half-century in 60 Tests, apart from three hundreds. Former captain Shaun Pollock supplemented their effort with an unbeaten 41, having put on 45 runs for the unbroken seventh-wicket with debutant Robin Peterson (15).
Bangladesh had the upper hand before the partnership between Rudolph and Boucher as they came close to taking wickets on several other occasions.
Gibbs was lucky to survive an appeal for being caught behind off paceman Mashrafi ibn Murtaza, umpire Brent Bowden declaring him not out when the ball seemed to come off his gloves.
South Africa opted for two spinners, capping left-armer Peterson at the expense of paceman Charl Willoughby. Paul Adams is the other slow bowler in the side.
