South Africa’s lower order once again came to the rescue after a top order collapse, edging out Bangladesh by three wickets in a nail-biting finish in 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 grit that saw them turn the tables on India in their previous outing.
A gutsy 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 fresh lease of life.
Both batters brought up their half-centuries, but their dismissals reopened the door for Bangladesh, who sniffed an upset.
Then, Nadine de Klerk, South Africa’s player for a crisis, walked in and saw her side over the line.
Her unbeaten 37 off 29 deliveries guided her side home with three balls to spare.
“I am lost for words, actually. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I’m happy we pulled this off,” said Tryon, who was named player-of-the-match.
“We just wanted to stay calm and wait for 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 a few anxious moments, including a dropped chance on 26 and made Bangladesh pay dearly.
With eight needed off the last over, she slashed the first ball from Nahida Akter through the covers for four, then sealed the deal in style, pulling the third ball for a six.
The Proteas, who began the campaign in tatters after being bundled out for 69 in a 10 wicket drubbing by England, have now stitched together three wins on the trot to climb to third in the points table and suddenly, a semi-final berth looks well within reach.
For Bangladesh, it was a tale of missed chances. A sharper fielding effort could well have tilted the scales their way.
After a sluggish start which saw them reach 73-2 at the halfway stage, Bangladesh did well to post 232-6 in their 50 overs, thanks in main to a sparkling 51 not out from Shorna Akter.
Coming off just 35 deliveries, it was the fastest fifty of the tournament so far and included three fours and three sixes.
