South Africa made a fluent start in the first Test against Bangladesh, reaching 104-1 at lunch on the first day on Tuesday.
Coming off a first-ever loss to Bangladesh in ODIs, South Africa’s openers gave the side a solid start by adding 58.
Opener Stiaan Van Zyl scored 34 before he was caught behind attempting a leg glance off the bowling of part-time off-spinner Mahmudullah. Van Zyl had provided a rapid start, hitting six boundaries.
Faf Du Plessis maintained the pace set by Van Zyl, and was on 33 at lunch, with Dean Elgar on 30.
The hosts bolstered spin strength by including leg-spinner Jubair Hossain and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam alongside Shakib Al Hasan, while Soumya Sarkar was overlooked despite a strong performance in the ODI series.
South Africa’s fast bowler Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander returned to the side after skipping the limited overs contests.
