South Africa bowl Bangladesh out for 80 runs to win series

A depleted South Africa side that lost several first-string players to the IPL before facing Bangladesh have managed to bowl the Tigers out for 80 to win the second Test by 322 runs and clinch the series.

In the post-match press conference in Durban last week, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque said he considers losing wickets to spinners on foreign soil a “cardinal sin,” after Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer took the Bangladesh batting order apart for 53 runs in the second innings of the first Test in Durban.

It appears the warning fell on deaf ears as the South African spinning duo yet proved too hot to handle for Bangladesh's batsmen as they bagged all 10 Bangladesh wickets in the fourth innings at Port Elizabeth on Monday. This time, though, the South African bowling lineup conceded only 27 more runs.

Throughout the series, Bangladesh batting and fielding have been a let-down, except for the maiden hundred opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored in Durban.

In both Tests, the batters and fielders failed to capitalise on the platform the bowlers had set for them. The fall of wickets at regular intervals and failure to build on good starts were the main reasons the Tigers failed.

Bangladesh's top order was knocked over last night, as they finished the day at 27 runs, having lost three wickets.

The rest of the batting seemed to be in a hurry on Monday morning as it took South Africa only an hour to wrap up the match on the fourth day.

With this win, South Africa now placed second in the World Test Championship Points Table.

Brief scores:

Bangladesh: (first innings) 217 (second innings) 80

South Africa: (first innings) 453 (second innings) 176/6 (dec)

Result: South Africa win the Test by 332 runs and the series 2-0