South Africa Beat Bangladesh by 4 Wickets in Last-Over Thriller

Bangladesh and South Africa faced off at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. In a nail-biting contest that went down to the final over, South Africa defeated Bangladesh by four wickets to keep their semifinal hopes alive. The Proteas chased down the target of 118 with four balls to spare.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Bangladesh suffered an early setback. Opener Juairiya Ferdous was dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings by Marizanne Kapp. Taj Nehar also departed quickly for just 1, leaving the Tigresses under pressure.

Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary then steadied the innings with a crucial third-wicket partnership. Sharmin scored 22 off 29 balls before being dismissed, while Mostary anchored the innings brilliantly with a composed 42 off 48 deliveries, including three fours and a six. Captain Nigar Sultana Joty provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 32 off just 20 balls, smashing four boundaries and a six, helping Bangladesh post a competitive total of 117 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs.

For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed two wickets for 22 runs, while Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk picked up one wicket each.

Chasing 118, South Africa got off to a disastrous start as Nahida Akter bowled captain and star batter Laura Wolvaardt for a duck with the very first ball of the innings, sending the Lord’s crowd into excitement. Bangladesh struck again inside the powerplay, dismissing Tazmin Brits for 20.

When Marizanne Kapp fell for 14, South Africa found themselves under significant pressure. However, Anneke Dercksen emerged as the match-winner with a superb knock of 45 from 45 balls, featuring four fours and a six. She was well supported by Sune Luus, who contributed 16 runs.

The match became tense again after Dercksen and Nadine de Klerk were dismissed late in the chase. However, Chloe Tryon remained calm under pressure, scoring an unbeaten 11 off 9 balls, while Sinalo Jafta struck a boundary off her only delivery to seal victory for South Africa in 19.2 overs.

Nahida Akter was the standout bowler for Bangladesh, finishing with impressive figures of 2 for 16 from her four overs. Marufa Akter, Rabeya Khan and Ritu Moni chipped in with one wicket each, but their efforts were not enough to prevent Bangladesh from slipping to a four-wicket defeat.