Kallis dashes hosts' hopes
Jacques Kallis' five-for in the morning session all but shattered Bangladesh's dreams of setting a challenging target as South Africa finished the third day of the first Test on the verge of a win at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
The sturdy right-arm paceman put an end to the two overnight batsmen's nearly hour-long resistance by getting the outside edge of Zunaed Siddiqui (74) to record-breaking wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
It started a predictable collapse that saw the home team lose their last six wickets for just 34 runs.
Bangladesh's stumble in one session was nothing out of the ordinary but the credit should also go to Kallis who used the old ball brilliantly generating good reverse swing to dash the home side's hops of batting at least two sessions.
Resuming the day on 125 for four, Bangladesh were bundled out for 182 on the stroke of lunch to set a 205-run winning target for the Proteas who survived from a mini collapse to finish the day on 178 for 4, only 27 runs away from their fifth Test victory against the Tigers.
Undoubtedly, the Tigers have already produced their best ever performance against the South Africans in their fifth appearance after losing all of their previous matches by an innings but the result could have been much better if they could only have managed some more runs on the board.
But Kallis dented the hopes of the home faithful with an inspiring eight-over spell to claim five wickets in Test match after four years.
He was supported ably by Dale Steyn who took the other wicket when Aftab Ahmed padded up to the right-arm quick to be declared leg before on 24 the very next over after his partner Zunaed's dismissal.
After that it was the turn of South African skipper Graeme Smith to lead from the front to make sure that his side would not face the same debacle as in the first innings.
The left-hander smashed 62 off 104 balls with the help of six boundaries before being trapped in front by ace left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique, who captured another wicket when Hashim Amla was brilliantly caught at slip by Zunaed.
The ace left-arm spinner, Rafique, is now two-wickets shy of achieving the 100-mark.
First innings hero Shahadat Hossain provided the first breakthrough when Neil McKenzie chased a short ball only to reach the safe hands of Habibul Bashar at short leg.
Shahadat also provided the second and prized scalp of Kallis as fellow quick Mashrafe Bin Mortaza took a sharp catch at the deep square leg boundary to send back the right-hander for only seven.
South Africa went into tea comfortably placed at 99 for the loss of McKenzie's wicket but the home team suddenly bounced back into the match as the visitors lost three wickets within the span of 19 runs.
The sudden collapse also slowed down the chase to take the match into the fourth day morning. Ashwell Prince and AB de Villiers kept their nerves but it could have been a different story if the shoddy Mushfiqur Rahim had not missed a stumping chance off the bowling of Rafique.
Rahim was also the victim of Boucher's 417th world record, who regained it from the retired Australian great Adam Gilchrist.
His dismissal though was a bit unlucky as Steve Bucknor's ruled him out caught behind even though his attempted leg glance took more air than leather a fact TV replays later confirmed.
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