Visakhapatnam, Oct 13 Marizanne Kapp (56) and Chloe Tryon (62) scored half-centuries and overshadowed similar efforts by Sharmin Akhter (50) and Shorna Akter (51*) as South Africa prevailed over Bangladesh by three wickets with three balls to spare in a well-fought encounter in the Women's ODI World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
With eight needed from the last six balls, Nadine de Klerk, dropped at long-off by Shorna in the 49th over, sealed victory for the Proteas, hammering a four and a six in three balls, repeating a similar act against India in their previous match at the same Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
After Bangladesh elected to bat first, Sharmin Akhter, brought in for this match, scored 50 off 77 balls (6x4) to lay the foundation, while Shorna Akter hammered an unbeaten 51 off 35 (3x4, 3x6) -- the fastest fifty by a Bangladesh woman -- to give a late push. Ritu Moni blasted 19 off eight balls at the end as Bangladesh started slow but finished in a canter to post 232/6 in 50 overs.
But in the end, big hitting by Kapp, Tryon, and de Klerk and dropped chances by Bangladesh helped South Africa reach 235/7 in 49.3 overs and seal their third successive win, moving up to third position behind Australia and England.
Chasing a target of 233, South Africa's top order batters struggled against the Bangladesh bowlers, who applied the early squeeze.
Tazmin Brits, who scored a century against New Zealand, was out for a second successive zero (a golden duck), while skipper Laura Wolvaardt scored 31 off 56 balls, raising 55 runs for the second wicket with Anneke Bosch (28). But the skipper was run out going for a second run, and South Africa lost their way, losing Bosch, Annerie Dercksen (2), and Sinalo Jafta (4) as they slipped to 78/5 in the 23rd over.
Marizanne Kapp got into the rescue act and, with Chloe Tryon, raised 85 runs for the sixth wicket, playing patiently and absorbing the pressure exerted by the Bangladesh bowlers.
Kapp scored 56 off 71 balls, reaching her half-century in 67 balls before she was caught by Shorna Akter off Nahida Akter, making it 163/6. Chloe Tryon, who got a life in her 40s, reached her fifty off 64 balls as she joined Nadine de Klerk, the hero of their victory over India in their last match, with the run-rate mounting.
Tryon reduced the pressure with a four and a slog-sweep for six off successive balls off Rabeya Khan, raising her fifty with the four. She celebrated that with another four in the same over, struck another four to score 16 runs off the over, reducing the equation to 37 needed from 36 balls.
But Tryon fell three balls later, run out while going for a single, with Ritu Moni sending in a fine throw. It was left for Nadine de Klerk to take South Africa home. She struck Fahima Khatun for two fours in the 47th over as the Proteas reached 212/7, needing 21 runs from the last three overs. Despite the dew, the Bangladesh bowlers kept piling the pressure before de Klerk did what she does better, sealed victory with a six.
Earlier, it was excruciatingly slow going for Bangladesh on electing to bat first as they crawled to 100/2 in 30 overs. They reached 150 runs in 40 overs and then blasted 82 in the last 10 to reach a respectable total.
Fargana Hoque (30) and Rubya Haider (25) were painstakingly slow in their approach as they shared a 53-run partnership in 16 overs, with
the South Africans bowling a tight line and allowing no leeway by taking pace off the ball in overcast conditions. Both fell within 20 runs of each other.
Sharmin Akhter (50) and skipper Nigar Sultana Joty continued in the same vein as they raised 77 runs for the third wicket in 15 overs. Bangladesh reached 150 in the 40th over.
Joty managed to score 32 off 42 balls before being caught superbly by Laura Wolvaardt, off Mlaba, just when she was looking to give the score the push it needed badly.
Sharmin raised her fifty off 74 balls, hitting six fours, but was run out three balls later following a terrible mix-up with Shorna.
Shorna stayed on and provided the finishing touch to the Bangladesh innings, along with Ritu Moni, blasting three sixes and as many fours in scoring 51 not out off 35 balls. Ritu Moni played a delightful cameo, 19 not out off eight balls with three fours, a hat-trick of boundaries off Marizanne Kapp.
Shorna struck the first six of the innings -- a miscue over long-on off Chloe Tryon after a delightfully executed sweep for four off Mlaba. She hammered Tumi Sekhukhune for her second six and followed that up with a thick-edged four over the keeper's head. Another four over mid-off as Bangladesh scored 18 runs from the 46th over.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 232/6 in 50 overs (Sharmin Akhter 50, Shorna Akter 51 not out, Nigar Sultana Joty 32, Ritu Moni 19 not out; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-42) lost to South Africa 235/7 in 49.3 overs (Marizanne Kapp 56, Chloe Tryon 62, Nadine de Klerk 37 not out; Nahida Akter 2-44, Ritu Moni 1-29) by three wickets.
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