Siddique, Rahim shine for spirited BD

CENTURION, South Africa: Junaid Siddique and Mushfiqur Rahim hit half-centuries to lead a spirited Bangladesh batting effort on the first day of the second and final Test against South Africa at Centurion Park on Wednesday.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 250, with Siddique making 67 and Rahim 65. South Africa were 20 for one at the close, with Neil McKenzie dismissed for nought in the third over of the innings. Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel took four wickets each but South Africa"s all-pace attack met stiffer resistance than they did in the first Test in Bloemfontein, where South Africa won by an innings and 129 runs.

The bowlers were not helped by some uncharacteristically sloppy South African fielding, with both Siddique and Rahim surviving two dropped catches. The tourists showed greater resolve from the moment captain Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and decided to bat, in a reversal of his team"s policy in the first Test. It took South Africa an hour to separate opening batsmen Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, who batted with patience and discipline.

There was another useful stand between Iqbal and Siddique but Bangladesh seemed to be heading for familiar territory when three wickets fell for 17 runs on either side of lunch to reduce them to 71 for four. But Siddique and new cap Raqibul Hasan put on 51 for the fifth wicket before Shakib Al Hasan and Siddique added 37 for the sixth wicket.

Siddique was seventh man out after facing 144 balls and hitting 11 boundaries. Rahim had only 16 when he was joined by last man Mahbubul Alam but he then went for his shots in a last wicket stand of 56 in which Alam scored only one run. Bangladesh won toss

Bangladesh 1st inns

Tamim Iqbal c Boucher b Morkel 31

Imrul Kayes c Smith b Ntini 6

Junaid Siddique c McKenzie b Ntini 67

*Mohammad Ashraful c & b Morkel 1

Mehrab Hossain jnr c Kallis b Ntini 3

Raqibul Hasan c Smith b Morkel 15

Shakib Al Hasan b Morkel 30

†Mushfiqur Rahim c de Villiers b Zondeki 65

Mashrafe Mortaza c Kallis b Ntini 12

Shahadat Hossain c Boucher b Steyn 4

Mahbubul Alam not out 1

Extras (lb3, nb12) 15

Total (all out, 76.2 overs) 250

Fall: 1-25, 2-54, 3-57, 4-71, 5-122, 6-159, 7-166, 8-186, 9-194

Bowling: Steyn 17-4-80-1; Ntini 19.2-8-32-4; Kallis 12-4-30-0; Zondeki 10-2-32-1; Morkel 18-0-73-4 (12nb)

South Africa 1st inns

*GC Smith not out 15

ND McKenzie c Raqibul b Mortaza 0

HM Amla not out 5

Extras 0

Total (one wkt, 7 overs) 20

To bat: J H Kallis, A G Prince, A B de Villiers, †M V Boucher, M Zondeki, M Morkel, D W Steyn, M Ntini

Fall: 1-3

Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 4-0-7-1; Mahbubul Alam 2-1-8-0; Shakib Al Hasan 1-0-5-0

Series: South Africa lead the 2-match series 1-0

Test debut: Raqibul Hasan (Bangladesh)

Umpires: S J Davis (Australia) and I J Gould (England). TV umpire: B G Jerling. Match referee: A G Hurst (Australia)

First Test match: November 19-22 Bloemfontein, South Africa won by an innings and 129 runs