South Africa made a fluent start in the first Test against Bangladesh, reaching 104-1 at lunch on the first day on Tuesday.
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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.
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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.