South Africa's tour of Bangladesh began in Mirpur with a two-match Test series. The first game, part of the 2025 World Test Championship, got underway on October 21 at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. Bangladesh opted to bat first after winning the toss, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the South African bowlers, losing all their wickets for a meager 106 runs in just 40.1 overs.
Following that collapse, South Africa stepped up to score 308 runs in 88.4 overs before their innings ended. This put the home team in a hole, trailing by 202 runs. Bangladesh managed a spirited recovery, however, as Mehidy Hasan Miraz (87*) and Jaker Ali (58) steered the team to an 81-run lead. The third day was cut short by poor visibility, with the umpires calling the game while Bangladesh was at 287/3, about an hour before the planned finish.
As day four began, Bangladesh returned to the crease with only three wickets remaining. The day started abruptly when Kagiso Rabada was trapped LBW by Nayeem Hasan for 16 runs on the very third ball. While Taijul Islam added a few runs to push the total past 300, the innings ended shortly after he was caught by Tristan Stubbs. The final blow came when Rabada dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 97—just shy of a century—after a gritty 191-ball effort that included ten boundaries and a six.
Bangladesh eventually wrapped up their second innings at 307 runs after 89.5 overs. The standout bowler for South Africa was Kagiso Rabada, who claimed 6 wickets, supported by Keshav Maharaj with 3. Tasked with a target of 106, South Africa started strong with Tony de Zorzi and Captain Markram. However, Taijul Islam broke the momentum by dismissing Markram for 20. De Zorzi fought back with 41 runs, including seven fours, before he too fell victim to Taijul.
Taijul Islam continued his streak by removing David Bedingham for 12, but Tristan Stubbs remained steady, finishing with an unbeaten 30 off 37 balls. South Africa reached the target of 106-3 in 22 overs, securing a comfortable 7-wicket win before the lunch break on day four. This victory gives South Africa a 1–0 lead in the series and marks their first win on Asian soil in 14 years—a historic achievement. Furthermore, this result propels them up to fourth place in the World Test Championship standings.