South Africa clinched the ODI series on Wednesday handing a hapless Bangladesh side 104-run drubbing at Paarl.
The hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series thanks largely to dashing batsman AB de Villiers’ career-best 176 off just 104 balls. It was his first innings for South Africa since June this year.
De Villiers' blitz ravaged the Bangladesh attack and left their eight genuine batsmen with a tall task.
He needed just 34 deliveries to reach his fifty, and as many balls for his next fifty, bringing up his 25th ODI century and his first since January 2016. The next 76 runs came off just 36 balls.
He eventually holed out to deep midwicket off Rubel Hossain in the 48th over.
The dismissal came in the middle of a six-hitting spree with de Villiers eyeing a double-hundred. In the remaining 2.2 Over, however, South Africa managed only 10 runs for the loss of JP Duminy and Dwaine Pretorius.
For the visitors, Rubel Hossain took four wickets for 62 runs in his stipulated 10 overs while ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan took the remaining two wickets for 60 runs in his stipulated 10-over bowling.
While chasing, the visitors needed a strong start which they hardly managed to have.
Ace opener Tamim Iqbal was out scoring only 23 of 25 deliveries with one down batsman Liton Das getting out contributing a paltry total of just 14 – both of them were packed within just 69 on board.
Although the visitors later had a decent partnership of 93 between opener Imrul Kayes and middle order batsman Mushfiqur Rahim with both of them scoring the only fifties in Bangladesh innings, none could actually make up the gaps.
Shakib managed only 5 while Mahmudullah was out on 35 ending what looked to be an otherwise promising innings.
Eventually, the Bangladesh innings was wrapped up at 249. AL Phehlukwayo was the wrecker-in-chief in the visitors’ innings with his right-arm fast-medium bowling figure of 4/40 in stipulated 10 overs although AB de Villiers was rightly adjudged the man-of-the-match for his whirlwind batting.
The visitors now have only three days in hand to recover from the de Villiers onslaught going into the final ODI of the tour in East London.