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South Africa Under-19 co-captain Muhammad Bulbulia’s blistering 72 off 79 deliveries was in vain, as he watched his side go down by a massive 130 runs to Bangladesh in their first Youth ODI match in Benoni.
Having elected to bowl first, the hosts struggled to get rid of Zawad Abrar, Rizan Hossan, and MD Abdullah as they scored a damaging 196 runs combined, with the Bangledeshi’s ultimately ending on 285.
"It was a very competitive game of cricket, and I must say that Bangladesh played very well in both innings.
"I think our bowlers did brilliantly to pull the game back in the latter stages, and at the break, we really believed that 280 was gettable," said the young leader.
The skipper praised all of the bowlers in the match, especially JJ Basson, who returned figures of 4/47 and helped keep the total under 300.
"JJ Basson is a hard worker and a very smart bowler. At the start of the innings, his job is to strike early, but he executed his plan to perfection in the back end of the innings today."
Earlier coach Malibongwe Maketa had explained his decision to keep both Bulbulia and Jason Rowles as co-captains, and would only select one, ahead of the World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia early next year.
"They share the responsibilities really well, and in this u/19 space, it is really important for us to build a leadership base. In terms of the upcoming World Cup, we'll have to decide on the main voice," explained Maketa.
He also spoke of the stern test that Bangladesh will provide for them as they build up to that tournament, and touched on keeping the door open for other players to stake a claim in the squad.
