Tigers concede 369

It was another toothless bowling display from Bangladesh which helped to produce breathtaking pyrotechnics as South Africa reached 369 for six in the third and final ODI at Buffalo Park today. There was however to be no repeat of the AB de Villiers show as the master batsman was out for just 20 in the 46th over to Rubel Hossain for the second match in a row, to leave South Africa on 325 for four. Rubel and Taskin Ahmed then bowled some good yorkers to extract the wickets of Willem Mulder and Andile Phehlukwayo, but at the end they seemed to lose their lengths as fast bowler Kagiso Rabada cashed in on half volleys and full tosses to score an 11-ball 23 with three fours and a six.

The match started with the South African skipper Faf du Plessis winning the toss for the first time this series, but if there were hopes that the trend of the toss winner losing the match would continue today, it was quickly extinguished by the start provided by Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, who replaced the rested Hashim Amla for this match. De Kock started the innings with a boundary through the off side off the very first ball from skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and that set the tone for the innings, a note that was amplified by three boundaries in the next over off off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who replaced Nasir Hossain for this match.

There was no respite for Bangladesh, as South Africa regularly kept picking more than six runs an over either through boundaries or runs almost off every ball. In the 14th over, De Kock brought up his fifty off his 47th ball with a single off Mehedi, and with a lofted boundary off Rubel in the next over brought up the century stand -- the fourth conceded by Bangladesh to South Africa's openers in six innings on tour. 

Mehedi got his first wicket on tour when he got rid of Bavuma for 48 in the 18th over when the right-hander holed out to long on and in the 22nd over, had De Kock caught at midwicket for 73.

Skipper Du Plessis and debutant Aiden Markram then put on a 151-run partnership for the third wicket in just 19 overs as Mashrafe inexplicably released what little pressure Shakib Al Hasan and Mehedi had exerted by bringing on part-timer Mahmudullah Riyad, who conceded 33 off three, including 17 in an over.

Du Plessis then seemed to pull a muscle in the 41st  over and had to leave the field on 91, paving the way for De Villiers. Later in that over, Markram was run out for 66 courtesy of a direct hit from Imrul Kayes.