SA wins the Chittagong TEST

South Africa on brink of victory in Chittagong Test

Chittagong: Dale Steyn claimed 3-4 on Sunday to crush Bangladesh's top order and put South Africa on the brink of an innings victory in the second Test. Robin Peterson claimed the other two wickets as the hosts were reduced to 54-5 following on in the second innings at the end of day three, having been bowled out for 259 in the first innings.

Mushfiqur Rahim (4) and Abdur Razzak (0) will resume Monday, with Bangladesh needing a further 270 runs merely to make South Africa bat again. Bangladesh resumed on Sunday at 60-3 in its first innings, and by the time it had moved to 176-4, the home side looked capable of providing a contest and perhaps even forcing a draw after South Africa's mammoth first innings of 583-7 declared. But from thereon, South Africa's pacemen Makhaya Ntini and Steyn destroyed Bangladesh's resistance, and hospitalized Aftab Ahmed in the process.

Ahmed retired hurt after top edging a pullshot into the gap between helmet and visor, and could not return in either innings thereafter. Shakab Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim put on a 56-run stand after Ahmed's departure, but from thereon Bangladesh collapsed, as Ntini ran through the tail with four quick wickets, all caught behind by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Ntini finished with 4-25, moving him into outright second on the all-time list of South African Test wicket-takers, ahead of Allan Donald and behind Shaun Pollock. Steyn struck early in the second innings, having Junaid Siddique out for a duck, fishing at a ball outside off stump and caught behind. Tamim Iqbal scored just 9 runs from 57 deliveries before he went, attempting some belated aggression but holing out to Steyn at mid-on off the bowling of Peterson.

Shahriar Nafees was the pick of a poor bunch among Bangladesh's batsmen with 69 in the first innings and 31 in the second, but he went in the same over, caught at slip. Short-pitched deliveries by Steyn then claimed captain Mohammad Ashraful (4) caught behind and Al Hasan (2) at short leg. On day two, South Africa's openers Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie set a Test opening partnership record of 415, topping the previous mark set in 1956 by India's Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy.

South Africa won the opening Test of the two-Test series by five wickets.