Hridoy and Litton Rescue Bangladesh After Rabadas Fiery Spell

Bangladesh suffered a major batting collapse against South Africa’s pace attack at the start of the first Test of the series in Johannesburg.

After winning the toss and opting to bat first at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday, the Tigers found themselves in trouble right from the opening delivery. Debutant opener Mahfizul Islam Robin was dismissed for a duck on the very first ball of the innings, caught by Marco Jansen at slip off Kagiso Rabada.

Before Bangladesh could recover from the early setback, experienced batter Mominul Haque became Rabada’s second victim in the following over, departing without scoring.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto came to the crease after the quick loss of two top-order batters and showed signs of resistance with a 12-run knock. However, he too was undone by Rabada’s pace and sent back to the pavilion.

With the team in deep trouble, young batter Towhid Hridoy joined opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim at the crease and attempted to steady the innings by building a partnership.

Tanzid reached his half-century before the lunch break, helping Bangladesh reach 91 for 3 after 26 overs at the end of the first session.

Following the interval, the pair continued to build on their partnership and took the team total past the 100-run mark. However, Rabada broke the stand by dismissing Tanzid for 67.

On the very next delivery, the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim was also dismissed for a duck, as the South African pace spearhead completed a remarkable five-wicket haul in the innings.

With Bangladesh struggling at 121 for 5, wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das joined Hridoy at the crease, and the duo launched a counterattack to revive the innings.

Thanks to their resilience and fluent batting, Bangladesh reached 184 for 5 at the end of the second session, having faced 53 overs. Hridoy remained unbeaten on 66, while Litton was not out on 30.