South Africa needed 8 runs to win in the final over, with Nahida bowling for Bangladesh. De Klerk made it easier by hitting a four off Nahida’s first ball. He took a dot ball next but sealed the victory with a six on the third ball, finishing with 3 balls to spare. Bangladesh’s chances of reaching the World Cup semi-finals became tougher after losing 3 wickets.
Bangladesh Women won the toss and chose to bat first in Visakhapatnam, posting 232 for 6 in their 50 overs. Swarna scored an unbeaten fifty. South Africa chased 233, reaching the target with 7 wickets down in 49.3 overs.
South Africa lost early wickets while chasing. Nahida took a wicket with her very first ball, catching the captain Tajmin Britts. After losing the first wicket at 3 runs, the Proteas stabilized with a second-wicket partnership. Laura Woolvert, who had settled in, was run out after scoring 31. After the captain returned, three more wickets fell quickly.
South Africa Women vs Bangladesh Women
Bangladesh Women dominated by taking 5 wickets for 78 runs, but Mariana Kapp and Charlie Tryon put up an 85-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Kapp was dismissed for 56; Tryon scored 62.
De Klerk shone at the end, scoring an unbeaten 37 off 29 balls to finish the match.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s openers Rubaiya Haider Jhelik and Farzana Haque started cautiously. Though the run rate was slow, they built a solid start. After a long time, the opening pair got a fifty stand. Jhelik was out for 25 from 52 balls, and Farzana scored 30 off 76 balls.
Sharmin Akhtar impressed at number three, adding 77 runs for the third wicket with Nigar Sultana Jyoti. The captain scored 32 off 42 balls. Even after Jyoti’s dismissal, Sharmin reached her fifty in 74 balls, laying a strong foundation.
Swarna, promoted to number five, made a big impact by scoring her fifty in just 34 balls—the fastest fifty in Bangladesh women’s ODI history. Ritu Mani joined her late, scoring an unbeaten 19 off 8 balls, boosting the total at the end.