Opener Iftakhar Hossain struck a defiant century while Moin Khan narrowly missed out on one as Bangladesh Emerging staged a strong fightback against South Africa Emerging on Day 1 of the second four-day match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.
After a top-order collapse that saw the hosts slump to 58 for 5, Iftakhar (109) and Moin (91) added 179 runs for the sixth wicket to lift their side to 242 for 7 at stumps.
Bangladesh’s innings was rocked early by medium pacer Andile Mogakane, who tore through the top order with figures of 3 for 1 in his first three overs. He removed opener Ashiqur Rahman Shibli for a duck in the fourth over before returning to dismiss Chowdhury Mohammad Rizwan and captain Shahadat Hossain in quick succession. Ariful Haque soon followed, trapped lbw, leaving the hosts in disarray. Things worsened after lunch as Pritom Kumar fell cheaply, mistiming a lofted shot to short midwicket. None of the first five batters managed to reach double figures.
From 58 for 5, Iftakhar and Moin then orchestrated a remarkable recovery. The 22-year-old left-hander batted with composure and control, reaching his half-century off 136 deliveries before bringing up his maiden first-class hundred with a boundary off George van Heerden.
Moin provided ideal support, beginning positively with early boundaries and punishing anything loose. He reached his fifty off 82 balls and appeared set for a century until he edged Dean Forrester to the wicketkeeper late in the day. His 159-ball knock included 15 fours. Iftakhar’s resistance came to an end just 10 balls before stumps when he edged Shepo Ntuli to slip, concluding a marathon 291-ball innings. Rakibul Hasan and Ripon Mondol ensured there was no further damage, guiding Bangladesh safely to the close. South Africa Emerging had dominated the morning session under bright sunshine, but the hosts’ middle order showed admirable fight to claw back into the contest.
Bangladesh will hope their lower order can push the total beyond 300 on Day 2 and put the pressure back on the visitors.