Taijul's Five-Wicket Haul Sparks Bangladesh's Fightback

Taijul Islam shone on the second morning of the second Test against South Africa, achieving a five-wicket haul that helped Bangladesh claw back into the match. Despite his efforts, South Africa still managed to score over 100 runs, ending the session at 413/5.

The day began with some drama as David Bedingham was initially given out in the second over but successfully overturned the decision. He then quickly found his rhythm, targeting both Hasan Mahmud and Taijul with a series of boundaries. Overnight centurion Tony de Zorzi continued his dominance, bringing up his 150 with consecutive boundaries, putting Bangladesh’s bowlers under significant pressure as the two batsmen built a solid partnership.

Bedingham and de Zorzi established a century stand, with Bedingham reaching his half-century amidst a flurry of runs. After the drinks break, de Zorzi hit a six and a four off back-to-back deliveries, further adding to the host's woes. However, the tide turned when Taijul, who had just conceded a six to Bedingham, struck back by clean bowling him with the very next delivery, bringing a much-needed breakthrough for Bangladesh.

Taijul didn’t stop there; he quickly followed up by dismissing de Zorzi for 177, trapping him lbw despite a review attempt by the batter. In a remarkable spell, Taijul then claimed Kyle Verreyne’s wicket in the next over, again trapping him lbw, and in the blink of an eye, South Africa found themselves at 391/5, having lost three wickets for just five runs.

Wiaan Mulder and Ryan Rickelton managed to stabilize the innings until lunch, ensuring that South Africa breached the 400-run mark. Taijul's impressive performance, with all five wickets falling to him so far, has given Bangladesh renewed hope as they look to exploit this momentum in the upcoming session. The team's prospects now hinge on Taijul's ability to continue causing havoc in the South African batting lineup.