Jacques Rudolph became only the fifth player to score a double century on his debut as South Africa continued to dominate the first Test against Bangladesh on Saturday.

South Africa declared shortly before lunch on 470 for two wickets, a first innings lead of 297, before Bangladesh made a bold bid to avoid a heavy defeat, closing the third day on 185 for five.

The 21-year-old Rudolph finished on 222 not out, the second highest score by a debutant in a Test match and the first South African to score a double hundred on debut.

Boeta Dippenaar made a Test-best 178 not out, their unbroken partnership of 429 the highest for any wicket for South Africa, surpassing the 368-run opening stand between Herschelle Gibbs and current captain Graeme Smith against Pakistan at Newlands earlier this year.

Rudolph, who played against against India in 2001 only for the match to be declared unofficial after match referee Mike Denness was dismissed without International Cricket Council approval, had to recover from a nasty blow to the back of the head.

He ducked into a bouncer from 19 year-old fast bowler Mushrafe Mortaza, the South African requiring lengthy treatment.

He raced through the 190s with three boundaries in an over from Khaled Mahmud, scampering the single which took him to the landmark off the final ball. His knock came off 383 balls, with 29 fours and two sixes.

Dippenaar's 369-delivery innings included 25 fours and two sixes.

South Africa got the early breakthrough they were looking for at the start of the Bangladesh second innings when Mehrab Hossain was trapped lbw by Shaun Pollock with the score on seven.

As in the first innings, however, Omar and Bashar frustrated the South Africans with a confident response. The pair took the attack to the South African bowlers, with both batsmen particularly severe on debutant left-arm seamer Charl Willoughby who was guilty of over-pitching outside off-stump.

The pair added 131 for the second wicket, a Bangladesh record for any partnership, before Bashar hooked wildly at Pollock and edged to Mark Boucher behind the stumps. He made 75 off 108 balls with 13 fours.

Omar followed for 71, gloving a sharply rising Makhaya Nitni delivery down the leg side where Boucher took a routine chance.

Left-arm spinner Paul Adams snapped up the last two wickets to fall, Alok Kapali edging a delivery that turned sharply away from him to Boucher and Mohammad Salim trapped plumb in front for a duck.

The second and final Test begins in Dhaka on May 1.

Scoreboard

Bangladesh (1st innings): 173 (Habibul Bashar 60; P.Adams 5-37)

South Africa (1st innings): (overnight 364-2) G.Smith c Mohammad Salim b Tapash Baisya 16, H.Gibbs c Mohammad Salim b Mashrafe Mortaza 17, J.Rudolph not out 222, H.Dippenaar not out 178.

Extras: (b-9, lb-5, nb-21, w-2) 37

Total (for two wickets, declared) 470

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-41.

Did not bat: N.McKenzie, M.Boucher, S.Pollock, P.Adams, A.Dawson, C.Willoughby, M.Ntini.

Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 24-3-108-1 (nb-15 w-2), Khaled Mahmud 17-5-56-0 (nb-2), Tapash Baisya 23-8-70-1 (nb-1), Enamul Haque 33-10-82-0, Alok Kapali 18.5-2-71-0 (nb-3), Mohammad Ashraful 8-0-31-0, Habibul Bashar 7-0-38-0.

Bangladesh (2nd innings): Javed Omar c Boucher b Ntini 71, Mehrab Hossain lbw Pollock 5, Habibul Bashar c Boucher b Pollock 75, Mohammad Ashraful not out 12, Alok Kapali c Boucher b Adams 7, Mohammad Salim lbw Adams 0.

Extras: (b-4 lb-8 nb-2 w-1) 15.

Total: (for five wickets, 68.1 overs) 185

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-138, 3-173, 4-183, 5-185

To bat: Khaled Mahmud, Akram Khan, Enamul Haque, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafi Bin Mortuza.

Bowling: Pollock 13-9-12-2 (nb-1), Willoughby 14-4-35-0 (w-1 nb-1), Ntini 16-4-37-1, Dawson 12-4-48-0, Adams 11.1-3-40-2, Smith 2-1-1-0.