Openers hit tons, put on record unbroken 282-run stand to beat Bangladesh by ten wickets; Mushfiqur ton in vain.
Unbeaten centuries from Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla helped South Africa coast to a ten-wicket victory against Bangladesh in the first One-Day International at the Diamond Oval on Sunday.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Bangladesh posted 278 for 7 but it was not much of a challenge for South Africa.
De Kock slammed an unbeaten 168 off 145 balls while Amla hit an unbeaten 112-ball 110 as South Africa eased past the target in just 42.5 overs. The opening stand of 282 between the duo is the joint-sixth highest of all time and only four runs short of the record, achieved by Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga against England at Headingley in 2006.
It was the 13th ODI century for de Kock, and the 26th for Amla, taking him to the fifth position in the all-time list.
Though Amla was reprieved on 94 and de Kock on 159, it wouldn't have made much of a difference to the result. De Kock, who enjoyed the opportunity to play a long innings after hardly getting a chance to bat in the Test match, was named player of the match.
It was the seventh ten-wicket victory for South Africa in ODIs and its fourth against Bangladesh. Source: ICC
The Bangladesh innings was built around Mushfiqur Rahim's 110 not out off 116 balls. However, he was unable to field after suffering a hamstring injury, adding to the injuries that already cost them Tamim Iqbal (thigh) and Mushtafizur Rahman (ankle) for today’s match.
Shakib Al Hasan, the star allrounder, made a quiet return to the side, making 29 with the bat and conceding 48 runs in eight overs. He became only the fifth player to complete the double of 5000 runs and 200 wickets in ODI cricket, though.
Kagiso Rabada (4 for 43) and Dwaine Pretorius (2 for 48) were the pick of the bowlers for South Africa.
This was the 100th ODI for David Miller, but the hundreds from de Kock and Amla meant that the left-hander didn’t get a chance to bat.
The second game of the three-match series will take place at Boland Park in Paarl on Wednesday.