Great Batting Display by G.Smith & N.McKenzie

Bangladesh bowlers toiled all the day for no reward as South Africa compiled a massive 405-0 in a record filled opening day of the second Test at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium on Friday.
Opener Graeme Smith smacked a double century to remain unbeaten on 223 while Neil McKenzie ended his seven year wait for the third century making a career-best 169 not out.
The duo gave no chance to the luckless Bangladesh bowlers on a flat batting track that offered neither seam movement nor turn. Bangladesh had spent the day tmostly scavenging the ball out of the boundary rope.
They are now eyeing a world record opening partnership of 413 runs, set by Vinu Mankad and Pankaj Roy nearly 52 years ago against New Zealand in Chennai. Given the manner in which the wicket was behaving, the record is very much within their reach.
It was really a painful day for us. We tried almost everything, but did not get any success. There was nothing in the wicket. No movement, any turn and also there wasnt any luck with us, lamented Bangltadesh pacer Shahadat Hosssain, portraying the true picture of the days play.
South Africa won the toss and Smith did not hesitate for a second to go for batting. They went for lunch at 92-0 giving an early indication of what was coming next.
Records started to fall one after another in the last two sessions presenting Bangladesh one of their worst ever nightmares in a Test match. It was the third time they the spent a day without any wicket.
Last time they went wicket-less in a day was against India in May 2007 at Dhaka. The other happened incidentally came also versus South Africa in Chittagong in 2003 during their previous tour.
Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph had shared a 429-run partnership in that game at the MA Aziz Stadium. It is the highest-ever partnership for any wicket against Bangladesh, a record that is now also about to fall.
Smith and McKenzie have already eclipsed the best opening partnership record of 175 runs against Bangladesh, made by Indias Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Kartik in Dhaka last year.
Only four times now in the history of the game have the openers dominated a days play. Last time it happened about 19 years ago when Geoff Marsh and Mark Taylor remained undivided to score 301 runs against England at Nottinghamshire in 1989.
We tried our very hard to separate the openers. If we could do it, I am sure we could have earned a few more wickets as success brings success.
But nothing went in our favour today, bemoaned Shahadat.