South African captain Graeme Smith looked ahead to a world Test championship showdown with Australia after his side crushed Bangladesh by an innings and 48 runs on the third day of the second and final Test at Centurion Park on Friday.
South Africa, who regained second position on the world championship table with their 2-0 series win — their eighth win in nine series, with one drawn — depart for Australia next Saturday for a three-Test series against the world champions.
“It’s a tour that comes with a lot of expectation and a lot of pressure, with an emphasis on winning,” Smith said. “But we’re going there to play the cricket we’ve played the whole year, to be as prepared as we can be.”
PHOTO: AFP
Smith said he would embark on his second tour of Australia as captain feeling more settled than when South Africa were beaten 2-0 in 2005-2006, backed by a team of experienced, accomplished players.
“There are going to be challenges I face as a leader and that’s something I’m looking forward to. I’ve done some thinking about it in terms of scenarios and things that I’m going to face,” he said.
Smith said that although Bangladesh had been beaten with plenty to spare, South Africa had used the two matches to “work on a few things, talk about a few things and implement a few things. Our intensity this afternoon showed we were able to step it up a level when we wanted to.”
Bangladesh were blown away for 131 in their second innings with their batsmen unable to deal with the pace and bounce of South Africa’s fast bowlers. Bangladesh contributed to their own downfall with three run-outs, two from direct hits from the deep as the batsmen attempted second runs. It was a disappointing ending for Bangladesh, who briefly held the upper hand on the second day when they reduced South Africa to 134 for five after making 250 in their first innings.
Captain Mohammad Ashraful said it had been one of the toughest series he had been involved in but he felt there had been some encouragement for Bangladesh in each of the matches they had played.
Coach Jamie Siddons said the three run-outs were “unacceptable,” but added he was pleased with several aspects of the team’s play.
“I was over the moon with our batting performance in the first innings, batting first and taking the challenge which I have been pushing Ash [Ashraful] to have the courage to back his batsmen to do,” he said.
He also felt Bangladesh bowled exceptionally well apart from an hour on the second afternoon when Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher turned the match decisively in the home side’s favor during a record sixth wicket partnership of 271.
“The game could have been a whole lot different if a couple of things had gone our way at certain points of the game,” said Siddons.
Prince made a career-best 162 not out while Boucher scored 117. Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets in four balls on Friday morning to spark a collapse in which South Africa lost their last five wickets for 24 runs.
Shakib finished with six for 99, his second haul of five wickets or more in two innings during the series.
■ SRI LANKA VS ZIMBABWE
AFP, HARARE
Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis captured a career-best 6-29 as the tourists edged Zimbabwe by two wickets to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match one-day series on Friday.
Mendis helped bowl out Zimbabwe for just 147 in 46.3 overs and they seemed set fair for a comfortable victory, especially after Zimbabwe had slumped to low scores of 124 and 67 all out in earlier matches.
But they endured an anxious afternoon as they just managed to scramble over the line with eight wickets down, making a hard fought 150-8 in 47.3 overs.
For Zimbabwe, Keith Dabengwa top scored with 32 off 59 balls as his colleagues fell regularly.
For Sri Lanka, their batting hero was Jehan Mubarak, whose 60 not out came off 99 balls but turned out to be the match winner.
They had been 33-0 and looking secure but they were suddenly reeling at 33-3, with Elton Chigumbura taking three wickets in one over, including Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayewardene who failed to score.
The tourists were suddenly on the back foot as they were 55-4, 95-5, 101-6 and then 116-7. Prosper Utseya chipped in with 1-18 and Ray Price with 1-24, economy rates that could have proved decisive had the home side had the runs to play with.
Chigumbura finished with 3-35 and Tawanda Mupariwa 3-34.
Had Sri Lanka had lost they would have been the first losers here since West Indies more than two years ago.
The fifth and final match takes place today.
■ AUSTRALIA VS. N ZEALAND
STAFF WRITER
Score at the close of play on the second day of the second Test in Adelaide, Australia:
• New Zealand 270 all out
• Australia 241-3
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