Brad Morgan
3 March 2008
South Africa thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 205 runs in the second test in Chittagong on Monday to complete a two-nil series whitewash, in a match filled with South African and world records - including the best first-wicket partnership in test cricket history.
Captain Graeme Smith was part of numerous records, starting with his leadership role. When he took to the field on 29 February as skipper, he was in charge for his 54th test, thus bettering the late Hansie Cronje's long-standing mark of 53 tests as South African captain.
Good decision
After winning the toss, Smith elected to bat, a decision that turned out to be a hugely rewarding one for the Proteas.
He opened the innings with Neil McKenzie, like Smith a product of King Edward VII School in Johannesburg, and the pair proceeded to totally dismantle the Bangladeshi bowling attack that in the first test had skittled South Africa for only 170 in their first innings.
At lunch, South Africa were on 92 without loss. Not long afterwards, the century partnership was reached; it was merely the first of many milestones.
The 200 partnership came up in exactly 300 balls, with Smith undefeated on 108 and McKenzie, closing in on his third test ton, on 85.
After slowing down in the "nervous nineties", McKenzie went to his century in style, smashing a six to reach three figures.
300-run partnership
In the 72nd over, McKenzie and Smith had lifted their partnership to 300 runs. It marked the fourth time that Smith had been involved in a partnership of 300, a feat achieved by only two other players in the history of test cricket previously.
Sir Donald Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, achieved the feat five times. Smith became only the second player to do the trick four times, which tied with another South African, Herschelle Gibbs. Three of those triple-century stands, in fact, were achieved by the pair.
Through the course of test cricket history, there have 69 partnerships of 300 runs or more. South Africans have been responsible for nine of those partnerships, which is just over 13 percent of those stands.
Since 2000, there have 24 triple-century partnerships in test cricket. Remarkably, the Proteas have been responsible for six of those – 25 percent – a remarkable figure considering that it almost doubles South Africa's previous mark.
During that time, India have matched South Africa with six 300-plus partnerships, Sri Lanka has four, Pakistan and Australia three, and England and the West Indies one.
Double-century
Despite having reached 300, Smith and McKenzie continued to demonstrate a remarkable hunger for runs and excellent powers of concentration as they lifted the innings' total to 350. Not long afterwards, Smith reached the 200-run mark.
It marked the fourth time the South African skipper had scored a test double-century. Previously, he had scored 277 (the SA test record) and 259 in back-to-back tests against England in 2003, and 200 against Bangladesh in East London in 2002.
Smith's fourth double-ton took him out of a tie with Gary Kirsten for the most double-centuries in South African test history.
Together he and McKenzie pushed the score up to 400 and an imposing and outstanding 405 without loss by stumps.
It marked only the fourth time in test history that an opening pair had carried their bats through the first day's play. The 405 also left Smith and McKenzie only eight runs shy of equalling the world test record partnership for the first wicket.
World record stand
That fell to the SA openers early on the second morning of the test and was ended just two runs later, with the score on 415 when Smith was bowled by Abdur Razzak for 232.
The previous mark of 413 had stood for over 50 years; In January 1956, Indian openers' Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy had put on 413 against New Zealand.
The SA openers' total was not only the best first wicket partnership in test history, but also the ninth best of all time. It was 14 runs shy of the overall South Africa record, an unbroken stand of 429 shared by Jacques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar against Bangladesh in 2003.
Smith's excellent innings took him well past the 5 000 runs in test cricket mark – to 5 146 by the time he was out. Still only 27-years-old, he trails only Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs on South Africa's all-time test run scoring list.
Piled on the agony
With Smith out, Hashim Amla came to the crease and together with McKenzie continued to pile the agony onto Bangladesh.
McKenzie, who had completely annihilated his previous highest score of 120 against New Zealand in December, went on to reach his double-century off 350 balls.
By lunch, South Africa had passed 500 runs, going into the break on 509 for 1.
Five runs after the resumption, McKenzie finally fell for 226, after a partnership of 99 with Amla, when he dragged a delivery from Shadat Hossain onto his stumps. He had spent eight hours and 38 minutes at the crease, hitting 28 fours and three sixes.
Remarkably, after the Proteas' complete and utter domination, Bangladesh's bowlers went through a good patch, removing Amla one run later for 38, Ashwell Prince for two with the score on 519, and AB de Villiers on 524 for one run.
Kallis and Mark Boucher steadied the innings, but the scoring rate plunged dramatically. Boucher was eventually out for 21 from 83 balls, with the score on 579.
Bangladeshi milestone
Four runs later, Robin Peterson was out for four, the second victim of Mohammed Rafique who, in his final test, became the first Bangladeshi bowler to capture 100 test wickets
when he removed Peterson.
Smith then declared South Africa's innings on 583 for 7.
Bangladesh started their reply with confidence, scoring comfortably until paceman Dale Steyn struck. He claimed three wickets in the space of 11 runs to leave the hosts reeling on 60 for 3 at stumps.
On the third day, Bangladesh started well enough, taking their total to 118 before Abdur Razzak fell for 33 to left-arm spinner Peterson.
Steyn returned to the attack to remove Shahriar Nafees for 69, which proved to be the highest score of the Bangladeshi innings.
Bad luck
Bad luck struck the home side on the same score when Aftab Ahmed was forced to retired hurt with his score on 21 after top edging a delivery from Kallis between the grill and visor of his helmet. Bangladesh had effectively been reduced to 176 for 5.
They coped well with the double blow, moving on to 232 before losing their next wicket when Makhaya Ntini had Mushfiqur Rahim caught behind by Mark Boucher. It was the start of a great spell by Ntini, who went on to capture the three remaining wickets as Bangladesh were dismissed for 259.
Ntini finished with 4 for 35 and the amazingly consistent and hugely effective Steyn ended with 4 for 66.
Ntini's four-wicket haul lifted him past Allan Donald to second place on South Africa's all-time test wicket-taking list. He finished the match with 334 victims to Donald's 330. The recently retired Shaun Pollock leads the way with 421 wickets.
Steyn's record-setting form
Steyn's four wickets lifted him to 100 dismissals in only his 20th test. The record holder for the fastest man to 100 wickets, George Lohmann, took 16 tests to get there, but most of those wickets were taken in the 19th century.
Only two players ahead of Steyn on the list could be said to have played in a comparable era, England's Ian Botham and the West Indian Andy Roberts, both of whom took 19 matches to reach the mark.
The previous record for a South African was 22 tests, held by Hugh Hayfield and Allan Donald.
Steyn's second 50 wickets came up in an incredible seven tests only; He took 13 tests to reach 51 wickets and, thereafter, seven matches to up his tally by another 54 wickets!
That remarkable form has Steyn - named Player of the Series against Bangladesh - poised for an assault on Muttiah Muralitharan as the highest ranked bowler in test cricket. The Sri Lankan, test cricket's all-time leading wicket taker, tops the rankings on 907 points. Steyn is in second, only seven points shy of the magical 900-point barrier.
Follow-on
Captain Smith enforced the follow-on with the Bangladeshis trailing by 324 on the first innings. Their second batting effort proved far less successful than their first.
Once again, Steyn proved too much to handle for the top order batsmen. He removed three of the top five in the order, while Peterson accounted for the other two as Bangladesh reached stumps on day three in tatters on 54 for 5.
The Bangladeshis didn't last long on the fourth day, managing to add only 65 runs before they were all out for 118.
Peterson did most of the damage, claiming his first test five-for – 5 for 33 – as the home team folded and South Africa claimed victory by an innings and 205 runs.
It was the Proteas' fourth largest victory by an innings, and not far off the record of an innings and 229 runs, achieved against Sri Lanka in Cape Town in 2001.
'Fantastic'
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Captain Graeme Smith said: "It has been fantastic. The guys will take a lot of confidence before going to India.
"It's nice mentally to get into the right frame of mind when playing in the subcontinent. This tour has been beneficial so far."
Before heading for India, the Proteas have four matches remaining in Bangladesh. The first will be a one-day warm-up against a team yet to be announced. After that, there will be three limited-overs internationals.
Despite their comfortable test series victory, the South Africans won't be taking it easy for the one-dayers; Bangladesh, after all, shocked the Proteas at the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007, recording a convincing 67-run victory.
India
In India, South Africa will play a four-day warm-up game before tackling the Indians in three tests. A tough task awaits Smith and his men.
India are notoriously difficult to beat on home soil and they are currently ranked second in test cricket.
They're two points ahead of the Proteas, who are in fourth spot and fractionally behind third-placed Sri Lanka.
The Indians also coming off a very hard-fought test series against Australia – which Australia won 2-1 – and will be battle-hardened and ready to defend their home turf with vigour.
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