Why did Bangladesh bowl on this Potchefstroom track?

South Africa v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Potchefstroom, 1st day September 28, 2017

Bangladesh misread the Potchefstroom pitch, which led to their decision to bowl first, according to Sabbir Rahman.

Only one wicket went to the visitors on the first day, and that was Aiden Markram running himself out after a mix-up involving Dean Elgar shortly before the tea break. This was only the third time in Bangladesh's history that they have taken one or fewer wickets in a day's play. On the first occasion, against India in 2007, Habibul Bashar had also put the opposition in to bat.

Today, the bowling at Senwes Park was insipid; Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan were unable to find their rhythm despite bowling long spells. Ninety overs without any success for the bowlers obviously begged the question: why did Mushfiqur Rahim decide to bowl first on a track where none of the batsmen on show had any issues in putting their front foot forward and driving with ease.

Sabbir said the pitch had looked to them more like one from back home rather than a typical South African one. "Wicket wasn't what he [Mushfiqur] thought it would be," Sabbir said. "It was a totally flat wicket. We bowled decently at first but not the type that would give us wickets. We tried to bowl in the right areas, to contain the runs. That was our job. It looked like a Chittagong wicket, not an Africa wicket.

"[Besides] you can't say how the pitch will behave by just looking at it. You have to play on it to find out. We cannot [decide on] bowling by just looking at the clouds."

Sabbir said bowling first is a routine decision for captains winning the toss in South Africa. "Any captain would decide to bowl first in South Africa so there isn't anything to add," he said. In the last five years, 62.5% (15 out of 24) of the time captains have chosen to bat first in a Test in South Africa. Perhaps Sabbir was just defending his captain's decision. Or maybe he is not the best judge of pitches; earlier this month during the Chittagong Test, he had said that had no clue about pitch while everyone else in the Bangladesh dressing room judged it quickly.

But how did a decision-making group that includes captain Mushfiqur, senior players Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah, head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, bowling coach Courtney Walsh and spin bowling consultant Sunil Joshi arrive at such a skewed view on the nature of the pitch having arrived in Potchefstroom four days before the Test?

The last time Mushfiqur bowled after winning the toss, in the second Test against Pakistan in Dhaka two years ago, the decision back-fired. In fact on the four previous occasions when he decided to bowl first, Bangladesh lost badly. The toss may not be the most vital aspect of a Test match, but the decision in Potchefstroom has already placed Bangladesh on the back foot. Even if they recover well, the decision and process by which it was arrived at must be revisited by their think tank.

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