South Africa jumps to fourth place in World Test Championship rankings; India remains at the top | Cricket News

South Africa player (x-photo)

NEW DELHI: South Africa secured a comfortable victory over Bangladesh in the first Test of the two-match series at Dhaka Shere Bangla National Stadium on Thursday.
This victory marks South Africa's first Test victory in Asia since 2014 and strengthens its standing in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, climbs to fourth place. India (68.06) and Australia (62.50) continue to occupy the top two positions while Sri Lanka is third with 55.56 percentage points.
The Proteas' win improved their points ratio to 47.62 and saw them move ahead of New Zealand and England in the WTC standings. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's defeat saw their points percentage drop to 30.56, leaving them seventh.
Scorecard – Bangladesh vs South Africa, 1st Test
In the match, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto opted to field, a decision that backfired as South Africa's bowlers thrived in favorable conditions. Bangladesh were bowled out for just 106 runs in the first innings.

In response, South Africa scored 308, thanks to a resilient century from Kyle Verreynne (114 off 144 balls), supported by Wiaan Mulder (54 off 112 balls) and Dane Piedt (32 off 87 balls). South Africa gained a significant lead of 202 runs after the first innings.

In Bangladesh's second innings, Rabada contributed an impressive 6/46 as the hosts were reduced to 112/6 at one point. However, a hard knock of 97 from Mehidy Hasan allowed Bangladesh to reach 307, giving South Africa a target of 106 runs to win.
South Africa managed to reach the target with confidence, with Tony de Zorzi contributing 41 off 52 balls and Tristan Stubbs remaining unbeaten with 30 off 37 balls to secure a seven-wicket win.