SA bowlers too good for our batsmen - Siddons

Following their five-wicket defeat in the first Test, Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, said he does not expect his side to beat South Africa unless a miracle occurs.

Siddons said the Bangladesh batsmen were not used to batting against the sort of pace generated by South Africa's fast bowlers. "They [the batsmen] go from playing for their clubs in the National League to trying to take on the best fast bowler in the world. [Dale] Steyn kept striking in the first few overs and we never recovered. We spent the [whole] Test trying to recover all the time. He [Steyn] ripped us apart in the second innings with 150 kph outswingers [to the right-handers] or inswingers to the left-handers."

"When your batsmen are out of confidence and having to play against Steyn, Morne Morkel or Makhaya Ntini, that is a tough assignment. The pressure they transmitted is too much for our batsmen at the moment. Their bowlers were just too good for our batsmen."

Despite the loss, Siddons was not keen on changing the squad for the second Test. "You've got to give young players time. I think they have the talent to improve, even if it takes eight years. What happens if we bring all the experienced players back in and get the same results? I'm not going to do that."

Graeme Smith, South Africa's captain, felt his side had to work hard for the win because of the nature of the Mirpur wicket. "[It] is a little tougher than the other subcontinent wickets," Smith said.

"The lack of bounce and pace is something we took some time to get used to. It is good to see the way the guys played in the second innings to chase down more than 200 runs."

Having bowled out Bangladesh for 192 in the first innings, South Africa proceeded to concede a 22-run lead when they were bowled out in 60.3 overs. Smith said that after playing three months at home, using a different style and game plan, coming to Bangladesh had been a wake-up call. "Our whole style of playing we were brought up with is turned day and night here. You need a whole different technique as a batsman, as a bowler, in your thinking method and in the ways you get people out. It all changes.

"These are not our natural conditions here. We have to learn how to play here, we have to adapt our style and I think we've done that now. We've won series in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh so obviously we are much more accustomed to playing here now. We've found a way to adapt our cricket to do well here."

Smith was impressed with Shahadat Hossain, the Bangladesh right-arm seamer, who took a career-best match haul of 9 for 97. "He [Shahadat] used the conditions well, he got reverse-swing, which made it tough. He bowled the ball in the right areas. And I think [Mohammad] Rafique really did a good job in the first innings containing one end, which made it difficult for us to score."

The second Test will start on February 29 in Chittagong and will be followed by three one-dayers between the two sides.