Marizanne Kapp compiled a useful hand of 25 and bowled with penetration to ensure South Africa's comfortable 30-run win over Bangladesh, as they finished their World T20 2018 campaign on a high.
In pursuit of 110, Bangladesh could muster just 79 for 5, and will thus join Ireland to fight it out at the qualifiers for the next edition of the Women's World T20. Likewise, the victory hands South Africa a direct passage.
While chasing down a slightly below par total, Bangladesh needed a solid start. However, the Asian nation lost their first three wickets for just 27 runs in under nine overs. Fargana Hoque (19) and Rumana Ahmed (34*) strung together a stand of 27, but by the time Hoque fell to Tumi Sekhukhune, the required run rate had climbed to almost 17 runs per over.
Rumama and Salma Khatun then added an unbeaten partnership of 17 for the sixth wicket, but by then the result of the game was more or less a foregone conclusion. The duo ensured that Bangladesh would at least play out their allotted 20 overs. For South Africa, Moseline Daniels, Dane van Niekerk, Sune Luus, Masabata Klaas and Sekhukhune took one wicket each. Kapp backed up her vital contribution with the bat by bowling economically and returned figures of 0 for 6 from three overs.
Earlier, Lizelle Lee had given South Africa a brisk start by cracking a 13-ball 21. In the second over of the innings, Lee cracked a couple of fours off Khatun and followed it up with another boundary off Jahanara Alam in the very next over. Just when Lee looked set to convert her start into a big one, she was run out on the back of a good throw by Sharmin Akhter.
Kapp, who came out to bat at No.3, and Dane van Niekerk strung together an alliance of 35 in 33 balls for the second wicket to raise hopes of South Africa posting a good total. At that stage, Kapp was dismissed by Rumana and that led to a mini collapse. Luus and van Niekerk soon followed Kapp back to the pavilion as South Africa slid to 67 for 4. Mignon du Preez and Chloe Tryon guided the side to 93 for 5. However, South Africa suffered another collapse, which saw them losing five wickets for 14 runs. Khatun, who picked up two wickets in the 18th over, returned fine figures of 3 for 20.
South Africa won two out of their four games in Group A to finish third, while Bangladesh lost all their matches to finish at the bottom of the table.
Brief scores: South Africa 109/9 in 20 overs (Marizanne Kapp 25; Salma Khatun 3-20) beat Bangladesh 79/5 in 20 overs (Rumana Ahmed 34*; Moseline Daniels 1-6) by 30 runs.