Both Bangladesh and South Africa believe they had upper hand in washed-out game
The first Test between Bangladesh and South Africa in Chittagong ended in a draw. Skippers of both sides believe that the game would have ended in their favor had play been possible on the last two days.
Mushfiqur Rahim, in a rare statement of aggression, said that South Africa would have crumbled under pressure of scoring runs quickly and the game would have resulted in a win for them.
"We thought that we could possibly win this game," Mushfiqur said. "There's no reason not to think along those lines. It is quite normal to think that way when you can take a 78-run [first-innings] lead against the No. 1 team in the world. Maybe we could have bowled better in the first hour of the second innings.”
He also said that, had their team taken a couple of wickets, South Africa would have had choked under pressure.
"If we could have taken one or two wickets, they would have been under pressure. Besides, everyone knows how South Africa can be when under pressure. We had that in our mind. Such chances don't come every day, we know it very well. We were very excited that if we could apply our skills properly, we could bring the result on our side”, he said.
Though Bangladesh received most of the praise for their performance, South African skipper Hashim Amla believed that they were in pole position before weather played spoilt sport. Amla is captaining the Test for the seventh time and remains undefeated. He said that South Africa would have pushed for a win, had play been possible on the final two days.
"We had a slight advantage, with Bangladesh having to bat on the last day. Even if we had got a score of 250, it would have been tough for Bangladesh to chase," Amla said. "At 61 without loss, going into the fourth day, we had the advantage with us. The game was poised in our favour”, Amla said.
Captain's opinion of the pitch
Heavy rain had washed out the fourth and fifth day of the game when South Africa were trailing by 17 runs. Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zy showed promise for as a new opening pair, they were confident and complimented each other perfectly well. Both of them also do their bit with the ball and the help the likes of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. Although, the bowlers were challenged on the track which offered no pace, bounce or swing.
"Our seamers tried exceptionally hard. The wicket was probably the best to bat on when Bangladesh were batting and to their credit they batted really well. Our seamers tried hard and I think they put in a good showing," Amla said.
The Bangladesh skipper, however, was of the opinion that the pitch was spin-friendly. When asked of his take on take on Amla’s statement, that the match was in their favor, he said, “It is [Hashim Amla's] opinion. But they were behind by 17 runs. They had to pick up quick runs and it goes without saying that they could have lost two-three wickets in the process which would have handed us the match. Our pace bowlers bowled particularly well in the first innings. Conditions would have helped spin in the second innings. [So] we were ahead if you think in that way. This is my personal opinion."
South Africa hope to further explore their spin options in the second Test. "if it looks like a two-spinner wicket, it may be an option”, Amla said, to play Aaron Phangiso and Simon Harmer.
Bangladesh high on confidence
Mushfiqur also stated that their team wanted to replicate their ODI success in Tests and make it clear that they are not to be taken lightly by any team. This performance has certainly instilled a lot of confidence in the team.
"We only rarely get these chances. Everyone was hungry to play well. We wanted to show that if we could do it in ODIs we could do it in Tests as well. We haven't proven everything in one Test, but this was a start. This will help us do better in the future, give us more mental strength. If we can play like this, we can do better in Tests”, the Bangladesh captain said.
The hosts proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. South Africa, however, would like to make prove otherwise in the format where they remain the top-ranked team despite Bangladesh’s performance.
"We've come all the way from SA, so we want to be playing cricket. There's no use getting frustrated with the weather. What counts is when we do have an opportunity, whether we take it or not," Amla said.
That opportunity will come again next Thursday.