Miraz keeps Bangladesh's hopes alive
Despite starting the day under the threat of an innings defeat, Bangladesh now has a chance to paint a picture of victory. With three wickets remaining, the hosts will begin the fourth day 81 runs ahead.
Due to rain and poor light, the day's play was called off well before the scheduled time. In total, the third day saw 57.5 overs of play, interrupted twice. During this time, Bangladesh scored 182 runs for the loss of four wickets.
Despite starting the day under the threat of an innings defeat, Bangladesh now has a chance to paint a picture of victory. With three wickets remaining, the hosts will begin the fourth day 81 runs ahead.
At the end of the third day, their second innings stands at 283 runs for seven wickets in 85 overs.
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The architect of Bangladesh's slim hopes of victory is Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Partnering with debutant Zakir Ali, the spin all-rounder rescued the team from a precarious situation and steadily advanced.
Zakir was dismissed after scoring 58 runs on debut. His partnership with Miraz yielded 138 runs, which is Bangladesh's highest partnership against South Africa.
Though Zakir is back in the pavilion, Miraz remains unbeaten on 87. Supporting him at the other end is Nayeem Hasan, who is on 16. Their unbroken partnership currently stands at 33 runs.
However, the day did not begin promisingly for Bangladesh. In the fifth over, within three deliveries, Kagiso Rabada removed the two unbeaten batsmen from the previous day, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim. Later, Liton Kumar Das fell victim to Keshav Maharaj.
At that point, Bangladesh was still trailing South Africa by 90 runs. It was from there that the battle of Miraz and Zakir began. With his ninth Test fifty, Miraz has now raised hopes for a century.
