Tour of Bangladesh 2002-03          Captain: Graeme Smith

32nd official Test tour

First Test-playing tour of Bangladesh  by South Africa

     (April - May 2003)

In light of the war in Iraq the South Africans pulled out of a one-day tournament in Sharjah and required an assurance from the Bangladesh Cricket Board and their government that all necessary security steps would be taken before the tour could proceed.

Shaun Pollock lost the captaincy after the 2003 World Cup. Graeme Smith overtook Murray Bissett in 1898-99 as South Africa’s youngest-ever Test captain and became the third youngest overall at 22 years and 82 days (only Nawab of Pataudi and Waqar Younus being younger than him). He said it marked a break from the Cronje era.

The South Africans were far too strong for Bangladesh and easily won both Test matches.

Other South African tours

Previous Tour

Australia 2000-01

Next tour

England 2003

Next tour of Bangladesh

2007-08

Members of the Test tour party (13)

Opening batsmen  Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs.

Middle-order batsmen  Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Rudolph, Neil McKenzie, 

Wicket-keepers Mark Boucher

Spin bowlers   Paul Adams,  Robin Peterson.

Fast bowlers   Shaun Pollock,  Alan Dawson,  Makhaya Ntini,  Charl Willoughby, Andrew Hall.

Provincial representation:

Br - Border (2)

E -  Easterns (1)

EP - Eastern Province (1)

FS - Free State (1)

KZN - Kwa Zulu-Natal (1)

No  -  Northerns (2)

WP - Western Province (5)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(24 April 2003) :

       26 yrs  6 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

Pollock 68,  Boucher 58,  Gibbs 43,  Adams 36,  Ntini 29,  McKenzie 28,  Dippenaar 17,  Smith 8,  Hall 4,  Dawson 0,  Rudolph 0,  Peterson 0,  Willoughby 0.  

Team Officials

Selectors

Omar Henry (Convenor of selectors),  Haroon Lorgat,  Douglas Maku,  Hugh Page  and  Pat Symcox

Selection

Shaun Pollock was sacked on 15 March as captain and Mark Boucher as vice-captain when South Africa failed to reach the second round of the World Cup. 

Graeme Smith was appointed captain next day.

The selectors decided against appointing a vice-captain for the tour and would do so on a match by match basis.  

Unavailable:   Monde Zondeki could not be considered after he suffered a shoulder injury in a car accident

Tour Party Announced :  16 March 2003

Not selected:  Gary Kirsten,  Lance Klusener,  Charl Langeveldt.

Withdrawal :  On 2 April Jacques Kallis withdrew, to be with his father who was ill.

Only two of the selectors - Douglas Maku and Haroon Lorgat - were in the country to consider who would take his place.  Omar Henry was in Australia and Hugh Page in Toronto on business, and eventually the team managed without any replacement

Time between selection and departure from South Africa

  x days

(16 March 2003 to depart in Saf)

Travel

Arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday 9 April when Smith gave press conference

Time spent in Bangladesh

   x days

(9 April - depart Host)

On-tour selection panel

Eric Simons (coach), Graeme Smith (coach),  and Haroon Lorgat (selector on tour)

Reinforcements

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§  one-day internationals(the TVS Cup)

Time spent in Bangladesh before First Test: 15 days

(9 April - 24 April)

Test appearances on tour

2  -   Adams,  Boucher,  Dawson,  Dippenaar,  Gibbs,  McKenzie,  Ntini,  Pollock,  Rudolph,  Smith.

1  -   Peterson,  Willoughby.

0  -   Hall.

Highlights

•   At Chittagong Paul Adams took  5-37 and 5-69, the only time he had ten wickets in a Test match.

•   In South Africa’s first innings at Chittagong Jacques Rudolph (222*) and Bota Dippenaar (177*) put on 429, the sixth biggest partnership in all Test cricket

•   Rudolph became the second South African to score a century on Test debut and only the fifth batsman from any country to score a double century on debut.

•   Robin Peterson, on debut at Dhaka, scored 61 and took five wickets in the match for only 68 runs.

Tour Summary

Return to South Africa

2nd Test match ended on fourth day on 4 May 2003

Time away from South Africa    x days  

(depart SAf to arrive home in S AfI)

Finances