Bangladesh Women vs South Africa Women Match 29 Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits are the two openers for South Africa Women. Marufa Akter to start proceedings with the ball. Here we go..,

... THE RUN CHASE ...

South Africa Women aim to chase comfortably - Chasing 118, South Africa Women will back themselves to finish the job comfortably. The question now is whether they can wrap it up quickly or if Bangladesh Women can put up a fight with the ball. We’ll find out soon. Join us shortly for the second innings.

A quick chat - South Africa Women's Shabnim Ismail feels it is a pretty decent surface to bowl on with nice carry. While they would have liked a few more wickets in the Powerplay, she believes the bowling unit still did a decent job. After the previous game, the focus was on improving field placements. She feels the bowling itself is not the issue, with the emphasis instead being on better execution and sticking to the plans. She remains confident despite not playing their best cricket yet. Their immediate priority is to secure the win first by chasing the target successfully.

South Africa Women's bowling group shines - For South Africa Women, the opening bowling pair of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were relentless, consistently hitting good lengths and extracting assistance from the surface. Nonkululeko Mlaba chipped in with two wickets and bowled a fine spell, while Nadine de Klerk and Ayabonga Khaka also supported the attack effectively. The Proteas would have ideally wanted to restrict Bangladesh to under 100, but a few extra runs in the backend meant they conceded slightly more than they would have liked. Still, they will be satisfied with their overall bowling performance.

Nigar Sultana’s late blitz lifts Bangladesh Women - A late surge helped Bangladesh Women recover to 117/5 in their 20 overs. Opting to bat first, they endured a shaky start as both openers fell cheaply. The innings was rebuilt by Sobhana Mostary and Shorna Akter, who stitched together a steady partnership to stabilise the side. Skipper Nigar Sultana then provided the decisive momentum, striking an unbeaten 32 off just 20 deliveries to propel Bangladesh close to the 120-run mark and give her team a fighting total.

Can Ayabonga Khaka keep Bangladesh Women under 110?

The next batter in is Ritu Moni.

Nonkululeko Mlaba to bowl the penultimate over.

Onto the big one - That wraps up the penultimate Group Stage fixture of the T20 World Cup. South Africa Women pick up two crucial points to keep their semifinal hopes firmly alive, while Bangladesh Women bow out of the tournament with a defeat but plenty of positives to take away. Now, all eyes turn to the blockbuster clash at Lord's, where Australia Women take on India Women with a semifinal spot on the line. The toss is done and India have elected to BAT first. A win for India seals qualification, but if they fall short, South Africa will book their place instead. Simply switch tabs and join us for all the action. See you there!

The victorious skipper of South Africa Women - Laura Wolvaardt admits it is not the way South Africa Women would have liked to finish the chase. While pleased with the excellent bowling effort, she feels the side should have restricted Bangladesh Women to around 100. She also credits Bangladesh's slow spin bowling for making the chase tricky. With their fate not in their own hands, she says the team will now be watching the next game closely and cheering on Australia Women.

The captain for Bangladesh Women - Nigar Sultana feels Bangladesh lost the game by losing early wickets in the Powerplay. While the batters did well to build a partnership, she believes the side failed to score enough runs through the middle overs. A strong finish would have lifted the total, but she feels Bangladesh still fell 10-15 runs short, which ultimately cost them both the match and their campaign. The Bangladesh skipper is full of praise for her bowlers and fielders, saying the way they fought until the very last ball makes her proud. Although Bangladesh came into the tournament hoping to win more matches, she sees the two victories as a significant achievement and is delighted with the commitment shown by every player, who gave their all for the team throughout the campaign.

Time to hear from the two captains now...

Bangladesh bow out with heads held high - Bangladesh Women can take plenty of heart from not just this spirited bowling effort, but their tournament as a whole. Finishing with two wins and three defeats, they gave a good account of themselves and gained valuable experience for the future. In this game, Marufa Akter struck with a beauty to remove Laura Wolvaardt off the very first ball, while the bowlers stayed disciplined and the fielders threw themselves around to save every run. Nahida Akter claimed two wickets, with Sanjida Akter Meghla and Ritu Moni chipping in one apiece to keep Bangladesh in the contest, but in the end, they just fell short.

Tigresses struggle to a modest total - Bangladesh Women huffed and puffed their way to a below-par total. Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 42 and added 56 with Sharmin Akter, but it was skipper Nigar Sultana's quickfire 32 off 20 that provided the late spark, leaving many to wonder if she should have come in earlier. South Africa Women were disciplined with the ball, with Nonkululeko Mlaba leading the way with 2/22, while Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Nadine de Klerk chipped in with a wicket each to keep Bangladesh in check.

South Africa scrape through nervy chase - South Africa Women suffered an early blow as Laura Wolvaardt fell off the very first ball, but Tazmin Brits and Annerie Dercksen steadied the innings with a cautious 52-run partnership. A mini collapse left them wobbling at 59/3, but Dercksen kept the scoreboard ticking before falling for a run-a-ball 45 with plenty still to do. Marizanne Kapp chipped in with crucial runs, though her run-out added to the tension. Nadine de Klerk's couple of boundaries in the penultimate over brought the equation down to five needed off the last over, but she too couldn't finish the job. It was Chloe Tryon who eventually sealed the win, rather scrappily, a fitting reflection of South Africa's hard-fought chase.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Marizanne Kapp wins the award for her all-round performance. 1/9 with the ball and 16 off 21 with the bat. She says that she was disappointed not to hit the stumps more often, but felt the bowling unit as a whole did a good job. She shares that they will take the win and emphasized that, in a World Cup, a win is a win, even if things got nervy for them towards the end.

Proteas survive Bangladesh scare - South Africa Women have just about got over the line, and while it was far from convincing, they have done exactly what they needed to. It will be more relief than celebration for the Proteas, who must now hope Australia Women can do them a favour by beating India Women to seal their place in the semifinals. Bangladesh Women, meanwhile, deserve immense credit. Playing at Lord's for the first time, they rose to the occasion brilliantly, made a real contest of it and pushed South Africa all the way to the final over.

Marufa Akter will bowl the final over. South Africa Women need 5 runs. Can she pull off something special here? All three results are still possible.

Bangladesh Women are still alive in the game. Sinalo Jafta comes in at number 8.

Huge moment in the game. Chloe Tryon walks in at number 7.