60/6 in the first session

South Africa had a great start to the day after winning the toss and opting to bowl, while Bangladesh struggled with a series of early wickets. The nearly empty gallery fell silent as they witnessed the departure of three batsmen within the first six overs. The pressure intensified with the quick dismissals of Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, and Mehedi Hasan Miraz. At the end of the first session on the first day of the Mirpur Test, Bangladesh found themselves in a precarious position at 60 runs for the loss of six wickets.

In just 26.1 overs, Bangladesh managed to score 60 runs, losing six wickets in the process. The dismissal of Miraz left the team in deep trouble, with opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy remaining unbeaten on 16 runs after facing 86 balls. He will be joined by debutant Zakir Ali Anik after lunch.

Although South Africa had not won any of their last 13 Tests in the subcontinent, Bangladesh had never beaten the Proteas in Test cricket. Nonetheless, Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, felt confident playing at home. However, the narrative changed dramatically within minutes of the morning session.

In the second over of the innings, Sadman Islam was caught by Aiden Markram at second slip while playing an unnecessary shot. Just a match prior, this opener had scored a fifty against India. Owen Muldar dismissed Sadman without any runs to his name today. Mominul Haque, coming in at number three, lasted only long enough to score four runs before falling to Muldar, with Kyle Verreynne taking the catch.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto failed to stabilize the innings and instead added to the team’s woes. He was the third victim of Muldar, scoring just seven runs off seven balls. Shanto’s dismissal surprised him as he had confidently stated at a press conference the previous day, "I know better than you what shots to play." Clearly, his shot selection did not reflect that confidence.

Bangladesh's most experienced player, Mushfiqur Rahim, also couldn't hold on. After Muldar took his third wicket, Kagiso Rabada finally claimed a wicket, removing Mushfiqur and achieving the milestone of 300 Test wickets. Rabada dismissed Liton Das shortly after, who managed only one run from 13 balls, caught in an incredible display by Tristan Stubbs. Mehedi Hasan Miraz fell for just 13 runs before lunch, unable to survive a review for leg before wicket.