South Africa’s lower order once again came to the rescue after a top-order collapse, beating Bangladesh by three wickets in a thrilling finale at the Women’s World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
Chasing 233, the Proteas were on the ropes at 78-5, but their tail refused to throw in the towel, showing the same courage that saw them turn India around in their previous outing.
A brave 85-run stand for the sixth wicket between Marizanne Kapp, who made 56, and Chloe Tryon, 62, steadied the ship and gave the chase a new life.
Both batsmen brought back their half-centuries, but their dismissals reopened the door for Bangladesh, who sniffed a surprise.
Then Nadine de Klerk, the South African player in crisis, came in and watched her team cross the line.
His unbeaten 37 off 29 deliveries guided his team home with three balls to spare.
“I actually have no words. It was a little stressful, but I’m happy I did it,” said Tryon, who was named player of the match.
“We just wanted to stay calm and wait out the bad balls. We knew we could chase 80 in the last 10 overs.”
When Tryon was run out by a direct hit from Ritu Moni, South Africa still needed 35 off 31 balls with three wickets in hand. De Klerk survived some anxious moments, including a missed chance in the 26th minute, and made Bangladesh pay a heavy price.
With eight needed in the last over, she clipped Nahida Akter’s first ball through the covers for four, then sealed the deal in style, hitting the third ball for six.
The Proteas, who started the campaign in tatters after being bowled out for 69 in a 10-wicket thrashing by England, have now made it three wins in a row to climb to third place in the points table and suddenly a place in the semi-finals appears within reach.
For Bangladesh, it was a story of missed opportunities. A more intense effort could well have tipped the balance in their favor.
After a slow start that saw them reach 73-2 at the middle stage, Bangladesh did well to post 232-6 in their 50 overs, thanks mainly to a brilliant 51 not out from Shorna Akter.
Off just 35 deliveries, it was the fastest fifty of the tournament so far and included three fours and three sixes.
