South Africa Women secured a thrilling three-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women in a closely contested match at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in Visakhapatnam.
Bangladesh elected to bat first on a pitch offering balanced conditions, with their openers putting on a positive start despite some early tight bowling by South Africa. Fargana Hoque (30) and Rubya Haider (25) contributed to the highest opening partnership of the tournament for Bangladesh before Haider was dismissed by Chloe Tryon.
Though Bangladesh’s innings had some slow phases, the middle order steadied the innings with captain Nigar Sultana Joty (32) and Sharmin Akter (50) rebuilding effectively. Sharmin scored a composed half-century to push Bangladesh towards a defendable total. The standout of Bangladesh’s innings was Shorna Akter, whose ruthless batting late in the innings injected much-needed momentum.
She blasted the fastest half-century of the tournament so far, scoring 51 runs off just 34 balls with a flurry of sixes and fours, propelling Bangladesh to a final total of 232 for 6 in their allotted 50 overs. Ritu Moni provided quick runs at the end, ensuring Bangladesh finished strongly despite earlier wickets falling.
Bangladesh’s bowling attack started well with early breakthroughs, including dismissing Tazmin Brits for a duck. However, South Africa fought back fiercely in the middle overs after being reduced to 78 for 5. The game-changer was the gritty and composed partnership of Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp who counter-attacked expertly to rebuild the innings.
Their 85-run stand swung momentum back towards South Africa, with Kapp driving Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter for a six to keep the pressure on the opposition. Both players held steady despite losing wickets at the other end, pushing South Africa close to the target. In the tense final overs, South Africa needed 37 runs with six overs remaining after Kapp’s dismissal.
Tryon’s aggressive hitting, including three boundaries in one over and a well-fought 62 off 69 balls, kept the chase alive. Nadine de Klerk then played a heroic cameo, hitting a six over deep square leg to secure a thrilling win with three balls to spare. Tryon’s run out added drama, but South Africa held their nerves to claim victory.
Bangladesh’s bowlers put in a valiant effort with Nahida Akter taking two key wickets and other bowlers contributing to the pressure on South Africa throughout. However, dropped catches and the South African lower-order resilience ultimately turned the match in South Africa’s favor. Although Bangladesh suffered their third consecutive loss, the performance of young players like Shorna Akter showed positive signs for the team’s future in the tournament.
With this win, South Africa Women moved to third place in the World Cup standings with six points from four matches, while Bangladesh Women continued to seek their first victory after three losses. South Africa’s next challenge will be against Sri Lanka, while Bangladesh prepares to face Australia in upcoming matches. The closely fought contest demonstrated both teams’ fighting spirit and kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final ball.
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