Mulder joins run-fest with ton as South Africa declare at 575-6

South Africa declared their first innings at an imposing total of 575-6, bolstered by Tony de Zorzi's impressive 177 and Wiaan Mulder's unbeaten 105. On the second day of their second Test on Wednesday, the visitors managed to reduce Bangladesh to a precarious 38-4.

At the close of play due to poor light, Mominul Haque was on six runs, while Najmul Hossain Shanto remained not out on four, leaving Bangladesh trailing by 537 runs.

Mulder faced some tense moments, narrowly avoiding a run-out before achieving his maiden Test century. He ultimately reached the milestone in the following over with a significant six off spinner Taijul Islam, raising his arms in celebration.

With De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs also securing their first Test centuries, this match marked only the second instance in Test history where three players accomplished this feat in a single innings. The first occurrence was by Gerry Gomez, Robert Christiani, and Clyde Walcott of the West Indies against India in 1948.

After stand-in captain Aiden Markram declared the innings, Kagiso Rabada provided an excellent start by dismissing Shadman Islam for a duck and Zakir Hasan for two runs, while Dane Paterson accounted for Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who scored 10.

Keshav Maharaj then bowled nightwatchman Hasan Mahmud for three runs, leaving Bangladesh in a precarious position.

Earlier, De Zorzi continued his strong performance from Tuesday, as South Africa easily accumulated runs after resuming at 307-2 on a pitch conducive to batting at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. He reached 150 with a lofted boundary off Taijul and quickly followed it with another boundary, putting the hosts under pressure on a hot and humid day in southeastern Bangladesh.

Bedingham was also aggressive, contributing a rapid 59 before being bowled by Taijul, who subsequently trapped De Zorzi lbw and dismissed Kyle Verreynne for a duck shortly before lunch, achieving his 14th five-wicket haul, albeit at a cost of 5-198.

Senuran Muthusamy achieved an impressive unbeaten score of 68, forming a strong partnership with Mulder during another 100-run collaboration in the afternoon session. This performance enabled the Proteas to surpass 500 runs in Test matches for the first time since 2020.

South Africa currently leads the two-match series 1-0 following their seven-wicket triumph in Dhaka.

SportsLigue