Proteas wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne was chosen as the Player of the Match for his sparkling 114 off 144 balls in the first innings against Bangladesh. Photo: AFP
TEN YEARS have gone by without South Africa tasting a Test victory in the often dry and spin-friendly tracks of the Indian subcontinent.
During this time, South Africa have toured Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and on each trip, the Proteas returned home empty-handed as they toiled for many overs in the field in that part of the world.
The last time they won a Test in Asia was in Sri Lanka in the winter of 2014, which was on the back of a spirited shift of fast bowling from one of the greatest quicks of all time, Dale Steyn.
With the willow, Hashim Amla stood up and fought for the team to win that series with exemplary batting.
On Thursday in Mirpur, it was yet another generational-talent in Kagiso Rabada that led from the front with a three-for in the first innings and a six-wicket haul in the second to take South Africa over the line by seven wickets in the first Test in Bangladesh.
They knocked off the 106-run target for the loss of three wickets, with Tony de Zorzi scoring 41 and Tristan Stubbs an unbeaten 30 after dismissing Bangladesh for 307 in their second innings on Thursday – mainly due to Rabada’s 6/46 in 17.5 overs.
Kyle Verreynne, a man known for his appetite for pressure games, stood up with a second Test ton (114 off 144 balls, 8x4, 2x6), one that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and most importantly played a crucial hand in South Africa tasting victory for the first time in Asia this decade.
With this victory, this young Proteas Test team defied the odds, achieving what many teams of the past, with all the experience they possessed, just could not achieve in Asia.
Stand-in captain Aiden Markram described the victory as special. Moreover, the 30-year-old emphasised how this victory would go a long way in boosting the belief and confidence of the team.
“It’s special. For a young or slightly inexperienced group to come to the sub-continent and get a win is great for us and the environment,” Markram told the media yesterday.
“I don’t think that it’s something that we as South Africans will ever take for granted. It’s a nice feeling to win here. I’ve been playing for a couple of years and never won in the sub-continent, so it is a special moment for us.
“The biggest thing you take from it is the belief and confidence that you actually can do well here as a team. I believe that’s where a lot of the game is played, from the confidence, belief and the mental side of things.
“I think that will help the team a lot for us going forward to see if we can put back-to-back performances together, because ultimately, that’s what makes a really good team.”
The cherry on top was the special achievements that Rabada and Verreynne earned in this particular Test match.
For Rabada, the 300-wicket milestone tasted a little sweeter, given that his Test career began in the same continent almost a decade ago, in a tough series where South Africa were whitewashed and Rabada himself walked away licking his wounds, with only two wickets in three matches.
For Verreynne, the century sent a strong statement to world cricket that South Africa have a batter who possesses the mentality and technical game to be successful in the harshest of conditions to play Test cricket in.
“KG is a superstar for us, and has been for years. To see all those stats pop up I think proves that he’s one in a billion. We’re really lucky to have him in our team,” Markram lauded Rabada.
“In terms of Kyle, it is a really special moment for him. In and out of the team over the last few years, had the backing now from the management, and he just looks comfortable now in the environment.
“For him to score a hundred in his first Test match in the subcontinent is very special for him.”
Going into next week’s second and final Test of the series, Proteas coach Shukri Conrad will be looking for a better and more complete performance, particularly from the top six in the order.
In this Test, not even one top-six member reached a half-century, and with captain Temba Bavuma likely to feature in Chattogram from next week Tuesday, the batters will be looking for bigger scores.
“We’ll definitely address it as a top six and as a batting unit to find ways how we can score runs. As a top six, we’d definitely like to put our hands up in the next match and try to fix that,” said Markram.
“Looking forward to those challenges in the second Test ... That’s what’s going to excite us about going to the next Test match.
“But for the time being, it’s a proud moment for us as a team.”
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