In a way, it was only the day for Ashraful and the captain Mahmud, but the fact that Bangladesh could get past the very respectable margin of 200 run mark, tells the whole story. From the scorecard, Mohammad Ashraful's 52 runs off 93 balls and captain Khaled Mahmud's 40 runs in 41 balls does not seem much, but it was a really confidence booster.

Whether Bangladesh as a team can implement from whatever confidence they have achieved in this match is a different matter. For the time being, all fans of Bangladesh cricket can enjoy this time and get a pleasing memory in their minds.

For the most part, Bangladesh team did not show much improvement in their attitude from the times of the world cup, when Bangladesh fielded badly as a team, they have batted beautifully, and when Bangladesh fielded brilliantly, they have batted badly. That is the scenario of Bangladesh cricket for the moment. Though there were some good fielding by the best fielders of the Bangladesh team like Javed Omar and Alok Kapali, but also there were some fielding lapses like catch drops went on. Like always, spinners bowled well and seamers bowled poorly. But the difference between experience and inexperience showed. It was only experienced Mohammad Rafique who could take wickets convincingly. Relatively easy catches were dropped off the bowling of Khaled Mahmud, Mohammad Rafique and Mohammad Ashraful.

But the main concern was not the bowling and fielding. The main concern was about our batting, especially after we were bowled out for 77 (officially) against India in the last match, when we were supposed to forget about our woeful world cup debacle and turn around for good. What should have happened in the first match, it happened in the second match.

It was discomforting to see only one batsman - Mohammad Ashraful to score a fifty, and others remained in their 20s and 30s "shell". Nevertheless, Ashraful played so brilliantly that it awarded him the player of the match award - his first such feat in one day cricket. And from among the rest of the top 6 batsman, only Alok Kapali could contribute something to the total with a patient 27 off 50 balls. Both Ashraful and Kapali past a crucial stage as Paul Adams, the different kind of action left arm spinner came into bowl. They have never faced him before and also probably Ashraful and Kapali have never seen him bowl before. He was forcing the batsman to struggle, even though Ashraful and Kapali are known to be good players of spin bowling.

During the end of Bangladesh's innings, Khaled Mahmud tried to play his natural game with flashes and big hitting and also succeeded doing that, but if it was not his or Bangladesh's day, then he could have been out within the 40th or 42nd over. Above all, it was South Africa's poor bowling and somewhat poor fielding that let Bangladesh batsman reach 200 run mark.

But whatever was the reason, lets not forget that it was Bangladesh's highest total against South Africa as well as first total of more than 200 runs in a 50 over game.

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