Cricket

South Africa's decade-long wait for a Test victory in the subcontinent has finally come to an end, with their triumph in Mirpur marking a significant milestone for the young and inexperienced squad. The victory, their first in the region since 2014, has instilled a renewed sense of confidence and belief within the team.Despite the absence of experienced players in the subcontinent, South Africa's stand-in captain Aiden Markram hailed the win as a testament to the team's potential. "It's special. We're a pretty young, slightly inexperienced group, so to come to the subcontinent and get a win is great for us and the environment," Markram said.The victory is particularly significant given South Africa's recent struggles in the subcontinent. After their last Test win in Galle in 2014, they endured a string of heavy defeats, losing 10 out of 14 Tests. However, the win in Mirpur has sparked memories of a time when South Africa were a dominant force in the region.Between 2007 and 2014, South Africa lost only three out of 15 Tests in the subcontinent, racking up series wins over Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. They were the most successful team in Asia during that period, apart from India and Sri Lanka.However, their dominance ended in 2015, when they were outplayed 3-0 in India. Since then, they have struggled against spin bowling, which has been their Achilles heel in the subcontinent.In Mirpur, spin once again proved to be a major threat, with South Africa losing five of their top six to Taijul Islam in the first innings. However, Kyle Verreynne's brilliant century, his second in Tests, helped South Africa take a healthy lead.Verreynne's innings was particularly impressive, as he faced 115 deliveries from spinners, scoring almost half his runs with sweeps. His ability to play spin effectively was crucial to South Africa's success.The victory has also highlighted the importance of Kagiso Rabada, who took a six-for in the second innings. Rabada's wicket-taking ability is second to none, and his performance in the subcontinent has further enhanced his reputation.The win in Mirpur has given South Africa a much-needed boost ahead of their return to the subcontinent next year. They will face Pakistan and India in two Tests each, and the experience gained in Bangladesh will be invaluable."The biggest thing we take from it is the belief and the confidence that we actually can do well here as a team," Markram said. "I believe that's where a lot of the game is played, from a confidence and belief and a mental side of things. It will help the team a lot as far as moving forward and seeing if we can put back-to-back performances together goes."

South Africa's batters faced a challenging first evening on a turning pitch in Dhaka, but Kyle Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder's resilient partnership of 32 guided them through without further damage. However, the pitch seemed to settle overnight, allowing Verreynne and Mulder to consolidate their position and extend their seventh-wicket stand to a decisive 119.Despite the threat of Bangladesh's three spinners, it was Hasan Mahmud's pace and reverse swing that proved most effective, claiming the only two wickets of the session. However, South Africa had already established a commanding 137-run lead by lunch, with Verreynne remaining unbeaten on 77.Bangladesh's spinners, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan, struggled to extract turn on the second morning, while Verreynne and Mulder played with confidence and composure. They effectively utilized the sweep and reverse sweep, taking advantage of the slow surface and the lack of turn.Verreynne reached his half-century with a drilled sweep, while Mulder followed suit with a cut for four behind point. Mahmud's reintroduction into the attack brought about a brief setback, as he dismissed Mulder and Keshav Maharaj in consecutive deliveries.However, Verreynne remained unyielding, anchoring the innings and guiding South Africa to a comfortable lead. Dane Piedt provided valuable support at the other end, ensuring that South Africa maintained their momentum heading into the afternoon session.

Warwickshire's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Vitality County Championship were dealt a blow as they trailed Nottinghamshire by 344 runs at the end of the third day at Trent Bridge.Nottinghamshire declared their first innings on 487, with Kyle Verreynne scoring an unbeaten 148 and Ben Duckett making 130. Warwickshire, needing 338 to avoid the follow-on, were bowled out for 143, with Sam Hain top-scoring with 59.Nottinghamshire resumed on 324 for 6 and quickly added runs, with Verreynne reaching his century off just 167 balls. Warwickshire finally broke through when Rob Lord was LBW for 31, but Nottinghamshire continued to score freely, with Brett Hutton and Farhan Ahmed adding valuable runs.Warwickshire's reply got off to a poor start, with Rob Yates and Alex Davies both dismissed cheaply. Will Rhodes and Hain steadied the ship, but Ahmed removed both left-handers in quick succession to leave Warwickshire struggling on 105 for 4.With only 155 overs remaining in the match, Warwickshire will need to bat aggressively on the fourth day to avoid defeat. However, the pitch is beginning to take spin, and Nottinghamshire will be confident of bowling them out again.

Neil Brand, the former Test captain who led a second-string South African side in New Zealand earlier this year, has been appointed to lead a South Africa A team against Sri Lanka A next month. The series, which runs from August 31 to September 18, will include three one-day games and two four-day matches.The one-day squad, captained by Test wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne, features several promising young players, including David Bedingham, who scored a Test century in New Zealand under Brand, and Tristan Luus, who played at the Under-19 World Cup. The four-day squad includes two players from the current Test tour to West Indies: Matthew Breetzke and Nandre Burger. Dewald Brevis, the breakout star from the 2022 under-19 World Cup, is in both squads.Notably, the number of black African players in the squads exceeds the national target of two players per XI. This is a positive step towards Cricket South Africa's goal of developing more black African batting talent ahead of the home ODI World Cup in 2027.The selection of Mihlali Mpongwana, who is currently captaining a South African Emerging squad in Zimbabwe, in both squads is a testament to his all-round abilities. Lutho Sipamla, who has been capped 17 times across all formats internationally, is also included in both squads despite recent injury struggles.The series will be overseen by Test coach Shukri Conrad, with white-ball coach Rob Walter involved with the national team on trips to West Indies and the UAE. All three one-day games will be played in Potchefstroom, while the four-day matches will be held in Kimberley and Benoni.