South African spinner Keshav Maharaj remains confident in his team’s ability to take control of the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka, despite a strong fightback from the hosts on Day 3. Bangladesh ended the rain-hit day at 283 for 7, holding a slim 81-run lead, with Mehidy Hasan unbeaten on 87 and Jaker Ali contributing 58 in a crucial 138-run seventh-wicket stand.
The South Africans were in a commanding position before Mehidy and Jaker came together to stabilize the innings, but Maharaj believes South Africa is still in a good position to win.
“Yeah, obviously Bangladesh has done really well today. Conditions got a little bit better with a slightly used ball. But I think we’re still ahead, obviously, Bangladesh has a lead, but we have three wickets more to go,” Maharaj said after the third day’s play.
“We need to restrict them as much as possible, but I still feel we are in the box seat, especially considering the good work we did with the bat in our first innings.”
Bangladesh’s resistance, along with the weather forecast predicting more rain, could impact the outcome, but Maharaj remains focused on starting strong on Day 4.
“Look, ideally we’d like to restrict Bangladesh to a lead of around 100 or below, but it’s important that we start well in the morning and then assess from there,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed remains hopeful of a fightback similar to their performance in the Pakistan series, where they overcame a collapse to secure a historic win. Drawing parallels, Mushtaq said his team could still believe in their chances of pulling off a win against South Africa.
“When you win a Test match from 26 for 6, it gives belief. I think you’ve got to believe from any situation,” said Mushtaq.
With the fourth day set to begin, both teams are looking to make key breakthroughs to shape the outcome of the match in their favor.