News
 

Proteas Head For Victory

Proteas Head For Victory

Nafees - scored 61 in the first innings.

Dale Steyn put South Africa in sight of victory in the second Test against Bangladesh as he claimed three second innings wickets to leave the hosts reeling on 54-5.

Steyn removed Bangladesh's top four batsmen as they posted 259-9 in reply to the Proteas' 583-7 declared in their first innings, helping to force the follow-on.

After Makhaya Ntini (4-54) cleaned up the tail, Steyn then struck three times in the final session as Bangladesh buckled.

Robin Peterson also claimed two wickets and South Africa will expect to wrap up a 2-0 series win with ease when play resumes on Monday.

Whether Aftab Ahmed is able to bat for the hosts remains unclear after he was forced to retire hurt in the first innings after being struck on the cheek by a ball which crept through the gap in his helmet.

Losing cause

Ahmed was stretchered off and taken to hospital and it is unlikely that he will be back out in the middle as Bangladesh chase a losing cause.

Resuming on 60-3, Bangladesh lost Abdur Razzak (33) to Peterson before Steyn struck in the first over after lunch to remove Shahriar Nafees (69).

Nafees had hit two fours earlier in the over, but when he fished at a ball outside off-stump he offered an easy catch to Graeme Smith at first slip.

In the next Steyn over, Johan Botha dropped a simple chance to remove Shakib Al Hasan at gully, before Smith put down a regulation catch to give Mushfiqur Rahim a reprieve.

The luck did not last for the batsmen, as Ntini had Rahim (15) caught behind to surpass Allan Donald's 330 Test wickets and become his country's second most successful bowler, a list headed by Shaun Pollock with 421.

Ntini also claimed the scalp of Shakib, who was earlier caught off a Morne Morkel no-ball by Jacques Kallis at second slip, before adding the names of Mohammad Rafique and Mashrafe Mortaza to his growing list of victims.

As Bangladesh followed-on, Steyn accounted for opener Junaid Siddique (0), captain Mohammad Ashraful (4) and Shakib (2) for figures of 3-4 from 4.3 overs.

Left-arm spinner Peterson got rid of Nafees for a 55-ball 31, containing five fours and a six, and the other opener Tamim Iqbal for nine.

South Africa lead the two-Test series 1-0 after winning the opener in Dhaka by five wickets.