The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup is turning up the heat with some intense contests. South Africa Women clinched a thriller win against Bangladesh Women. Despite losing some chances and luck not in their favor, Bangladesh fought hard till the last. De Klerk once again stood tall and ended the match with a fierce, unbeaten knock of 37 runs. South Africa won the match by three wickets in Visakhapatnam.
After losing their first match against England, South Africa has since achieved a hat-trick of victories and remains unbeaten. They are now ranked in fourth place in the points table with six points, with an NRR of -0.618.
Bangladesh’s tough fight
Batting first, Bangladesh put a respectable total of 232 runs on the board. Captain Nigar Sultana and Sharmin Akhter made a crucial partnership of 77 runs, and Sharmin Akhter clinched a half-century. After the steady partnership, Shorna Akter made a speedy 51 runs in just 35 balls with the help of 3 fours and 3 sixes. However, with the ball, Bangladesh started very well; they nearly dismantled South Africa’s batting lineup, and the game reached a point where South Africa lost their five wickets for just 78 runs. The match was almost in Bangladesh’s girls' control until Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp took charge. They both scored steady half-centuries and put together an 85-run partnership. After that, Nadine de Klerk’s crucial innings helped South Africa cross the line.
Chloe Tryon’s valuable half-century
Chloe Tryon scored an invaluable 62 off 69 balls against a strong attack led by Nahida Akter and Ritu Moni, while Marizanne Kapp contributed a fighting fifty. However, Bangladesh's fielding under pressure lost a lot of vital opportunities in the tense closing overs, which ultimately made the difference between the two teams. The most vital of these occurred when only ten runs were required from eight balls. De Klerk mistimed a drive off Rabeya Khan’s delivery to long-off, where Shorna Akter missed the opportunity to grab her wicket as the ball fell off her hands to the turf, and with eight runs needed in the last over, De Klerk capitalized with a four and a decisive six in three deliveries.
South Africa will play their next match against Sri Lanka on 17th October.
