Proteas take series 2-0

There was no storm from series hero Dale Steyn on the fourth morning but it was left-arm spinner Robin Peterson who spun South Africa to complete yet another whitewash of Bangladesh by winning the second Test by an innings and 205 runs at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday.
The innings defeat was inevitable when the home team resumed the day on 54 for five and it took only a little more than an hour for the Proteas to wrap up the match to clinch the series 2-0 after their five-wicket success in the first Test in Dhaka.
Peterson captured three more wickets yesterday to return figures of five for 33, his career-best in six Tests, to speed up the victory. Paceman Morne Morkel completed the job when Neil McKenzie took a spectacular flying catch at slip to send back Bangladesh's last batsman Mashrafe Mortaza.
Bangladesh were bundled out for 119 runs in 39.5 overs as injured Aftab Ahmed didn't turn up to bat as the local boy was yet to be released from the Combined Military Hospital. But he is expected to join the team within short time on completion of his antibiotic course.
Earlier the South Africans piled up a huge 583 for seven in their first knock and then shot out the hosts for 259 in the first innings.
Wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim was dismissed off the fourth ball of the day to jeopardise his place for the one-day series but another overnight batsman Abdur Razzak made an unbeaten 32 and Shahadat Hossain chipped in with 24 only to ensure that their side would not be bowled out below hundred runs.
Bangladesh were far away from their impressive first Test show, where they were at least competitive for the first two days, in the second match mainly because of their pathetic batting against the fiery South African pace battery, better to say against man-of-the-series Steyn who demolished the Tigers by taking seven wickets, on a flat track.
The Tigers virtually gave up the job without any fight.
It was the third consecutive occasion that young fast bowler Steyn got the man-of-the-series award after two home series triumphs against New Zealand and West Indies but everybody will remember this Test for the record-breaking opening stand (415) of man-of-the-match Graeme Smith and McKenzie, who rewrote the record books after 53 years by breaking the previous 413-run stand between Indian pair Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy.
On other hand it was a special match for Mohammad Rafique as the ace left-arm spinner bade bye to international cricket after claiming 100 Test wickets as the first Bangladeshi bowler.
The veteran spinner will look back at his last game but definitely he would not love to recall what happened in terms of the result as it was Bangladesh's fifth innings defeat against South Africa in six Tests and overall 31st in 53 matches.
The two teams will now be involved in a three-match one-day series which kicks off at this venue on March 9. But before that the visitors will play a limited-overs warm-up game on March 7. The last two one-day internationals will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on March 12 and 14.