Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk once again played key roles in South Africa’s win, guiding their team to a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Vizag despite a strong bowling challenge. After opting to bat, Bangladesh posted 232 for 6, powered by contrasting half-centuries from Sharmin Akhter and Shorna Akter. South Africa’s chase began shakily, but fifties from Tryon and Marizanne Kapp, along with an unbeaten 37 off 29 balls by de Klerk, helped them clinch the match with three balls to spare.
Bangladesh set up a below par score
Under cloudy skies in Visakhapatnam, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana made a bold call by choosing to bat first after winning the toss, despite her team’s previous best score in the tournament being 178. Her reasoning was simple: putting runs on the board would give her bowlers the best opportunity to fight. The decision proved wise, though the events that followed surprised many. South Africa’s bowlers struggled to find breakthroughs early on, as all of Bangladesh’s top four batters reached at least 25. Sharmin Akhter anchored the innings with a steady 50 off 77 balls, while Bangladesh’s cautious strategy meant they played out 126 dot balls in the first 30 overs.
Gradually, the momentum shifted. Bangladesh turned their conservative start into an advantage once the foundation was set. When Nigar was dismissed for 150 for 3 in the 41st over, Shorna Akter took charge and completely changed the pace of the innings. Smashing three fours and three sixes—each clearing long-on—she brought up a blistering 34-ball half-century, the fastest by a Bangladeshi in women’s ODIs. Her aggressive knock breathed new life into the innings, perfectly complemented by Moni’s quickfire cameo, who struck 19 off just eight balls to cap a late flourish.
That final surge propelled Bangladesh to 232 for 6, far exceeding expectations given their slow start. South Africa, who might have planned for a chase closer to 170, suddenly faced a daunting target of 233. Their nervousness showed almost immediately, as early wickets in the second over added pressure and gave Bangladesh renewed hope of pulling off an upset.
South Africa complete the chase despite struggling a bit
Tazmin Brits, the standout ODI batter of 2025 with five centuries, suffered a dramatic downturn as she recorded consecutive ducks, both via caught-and-bowled dismissals. Her latest exit came from a cautious back-foot push that Nahida Akter snatched in front of her face. While not as spectacular as Kranti Gaud’s one-handed stunner against India the previous week, it was equally important. Soon after, Laura Wolvaardt enjoyed a reprieve when Rabeya Khatun dropped a similar chance while she was on 11. That missed opportunity allowed Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch to settle in and build a 55-run stand within the first 15 overs, steering what seemed a comfortable chase.
Momentum shifted abruptly when Wolvaardt, on 30, was run out following hesitation over a second run, thanks to Fargana Hoque’s sharp fielding and pinpoint throw. Bosch hinted at recovery with a clean drive to the covers, but was dismissed the very next ball, miscuing a lofted shot for 28. At 62 for 3, South Africa needed a steady rebuild, but Annerie Dercksen’s stay ended quickly to a near-perfect legbreak from Rabeya that drifted, gripped, and brushed the off stump, leaving her bewildered. Sinalo Jafta followed four overs later, undone by a quick, bouncing topspinner from Fahima Khatun, reducing South Africa to 78 for 5 after losing four wickets for just 20 runs in 44 balls.
The collapse could have deepened when Kapp, on 15, edged a short ball from Shorna Akter, but keeper Nigar Sultana failed to hold onto a difficult chance. Relief came in the 27th over as Marufa Akter’s extra pace favored South Africa, with Chloe Tryon hitting consecutive boundaries — the team’s first in 43 balls. Kapp joined in with a powerful sweep to bring up a 50-run partnership for the sixth wicket off 62 balls. Even with the dew factor slowing the outfield late in the innings, Bangladesh’s spinners maintained probing lengths. Kapp eventually lifted the first six of the innings off Shorna to reach her fifty, but with 71 needed from 10 overs, she was caught at long-off by Shorna, departing for 56.
With pressure high, Nadine de Klerk began confidently with a crisp sweep for four, while Tryon counter-attacked aggressively. A stroke of fortune saw her under-edge a ball through the keeper’s legs for four, and soon after a deep-midwicket chance was missed. Tryon capitalized with a huge six, adding 16 in one over, but Moni’s sharp throw from backward point caught her short for 62 off 69 balls. That left South Africa chasing at nearly eight runs per over. Masabata Klaas provided a streaky single to bring up 200, narrowly avoiding a run-out, before de Klerk produced a vital boundary and lifted a free hit over the covers after Fahima bowled a costly no-ball.
Tension lingered as 11 runs were still needed. De Klerk top-edged a full-toss into space at square leg, causing momentary confusion with a near run-out. Two balls later, she offered a chance to long-off, where Shorna — poised for match-winning heroics — failed to complete the catch. That miss sealed Bangladesh’s fate, allowing South Africa to clinch a dramatic win, extend their streak to three consecutive victories, and take a strong step towards the semi-finals.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 232/6 in 50 overs (Shorna Akter 51*, Sharmin Akhter 50; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-42) lost to South Africa 235/7 in 49.3 overs (Chloe Tryon 62, Marizanne Kapp 56; Nahida Akter 2-44) by 3 wickets.