Taijul’s plan offers chance to make amends

It was a difficult wicket to bowl on even for a spinner given it was just the first day of the Test match but Bangladesh's Taijul Islam certainly justified his selection, bowling 32 overs on the day and picking up three wickets as South Africa, having stayed in command for most of the three sessions after Bangladesh's slightly wayward start with the ball, lost two vital wickets at the end to close the day at 278 for five. Later during a press conference, Taijul divulged on his bowling plan which helped Bangladesh fight back.

"My plan was that if I can bring down the run-rate, then I would go for pace variations. I tried to give as little as possible before lunch and later I tried to get wickets without conceding much," Taijul, who was instrumental to getting South Africa's run-rate down from four-an-over before getting the better off Dean Elgar and Keegan Peetersen during mindful spells, said after the day's play.

The left-arm spinner from Natore had played his last Test against Pakistan at home before being left out of the playing eleven in the first Test at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand and the consequent Tests leading upto the Port Elizabeth Test today. Coming back into the eleven, Taijul provided the much-needed balance in Bangladesh's attack, picking up three for 77 at close of play to end the day as Bangladesh's most successful bowler. When the pacers and other spinner in Mehedi Hasan Miraz went for runs, Taijul stepped up and stemmed the flow of runs in steady spells to create that pressure which eventually led to wickets.

"The wicket here in South Africa, had some help in the first hour but then it became flatter. If we could keep them to a lower score, we could have applied more pressure and that could have seen one or more two wickets fall," Taijul said about the match.

"Actually, you can't force the issue at this surface. If you bowled a little away from the stumps it went for runs or a touch fuller also went for runs. It was important to maintain [process] and I tried my best."

Bangladesh went in with four bowlers -- two spinners and two pacers -- but it also meant that attacking with pace was difficult at times as the two pacers could not bowl in tandem. Taijul, who bowled 24 overs on the trot which allowed pacers a breather, said that they have to take the challenge of taking that extra bit of workload together.

"Everything depends on the wicket. You can't play three or four pacers here. You can't play three spinners here as well given the nature of the wicket. It's [selection] also dependent on [number of] batters. Together we have to put in that physical effort and take that pressure to maintain things. We have to take this challenge," he said.