Ayabonga Khaka became the fifth South African to take 100 ODI wickets and claimed only her second four-for in ODIs to help South Africa defend 207 in their World Cup opener. Khaka's haul included three wickets for three runs in nine deliveries to derail Bangladesh after a solid start to their maiden World Cup batting effort.
Bangladesh gave an exceptional account of themselves in the field, led by 19-year old left-armer Fariha Trisna. She finished with a career-best 3 for 35 and found swing in relatively seamer-friendly conditions. Still, South Africa would have been disappointed with a rusty effort with the bat. They had no individual scores over 42, and only one partnership of significance.
A 71-run sixth-wicket stand between Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp set South Africa up from 119 for 5 to reach a 200+ total against a disciplined Bangladesh attack that took all but one of their chances and gave the team a chance of pulling off an upset in their first appearance at the event. In contrast, Bangladesh started and finished the innings well, with a 69-run opening stand between Shamima Sultana and Sharmin Akhter setting the tone and a 53-run seventh-wicket partnership between Nigar Sultana and Ritu Moni kept them in the hunt until close to the end.
South Africa's headline seamers, Shabnim Ismail and Kapp, went wicketless until the death when Ismail bowled Moni in the 46th over with Bangladesh needing 42 runs from 26 balls. Moni and Sultana's stand had grown to more than fifty but the required run-rate was up to 8.6 an over in the last five when Ismail was brought back into the attack. She gave away just one run in her first four balls and, under pressure, Moni swung across the line against the fifth, missed and was bowled. That all but ended Bangladesh's hopes of a fairytale start to their campaign but they've shown they mean business ahead of a meeting with the hosts New Zealand on Monday.
Bangladesh's top two posted their second-highest stand ever and brought up 50 in the 16th over. They breached the rope six times between them, most impressively when Sultana swept Sune Luus wide of deep square before things got nervy. Sultana was dropped on 22 at slip and four balls later, Akhter was nearly run-out at the non-striker's end as Bangladesh searched for urgency against a gently climbing required run-rate.
Enter Khaka, who nagging full length and difficult to score off has been key to her success. Two of her first three overs were maidens and then she removed Sultana with a full ball on the stumps that bowled the Bangladesh opener when she cleared the front leg to try to drive down the ground. Six balls later, Khaka tempted Akhter with width outside off, she tried to steer the ball to third man but got a thick outside edge and was caught behind. And two balls after that, Murshida Khatun, promoted up the order, also went on the drive and nicked off. Bangladesh tumbled from 69 without loss to 72 for 3 and things only got worse.
Fargana Hoque was run-out by a direct hit from Masabata Klaas at short third man and Bangladesh were 85 for 4. If South Africa thought that put them back in control, they were sure of it in the next eight overs. They only conceded 23 runs in that time before Khaka struck again. Rumana Ahmed tried to drive away from her body, forgot to use her feet and was caught behind. Klaas had Salma Khatun caught at mid-wicket two overs later and at 114 for 6, the game appeared to be South Africa's but the Bangladesh lower-middle-order had other ideas.
Moni took on Kapp and Khaka with a series of cuts and was playing the aggressor role in her partnership with Sultana. She brought up the 50-run stand off Khaka but was bowled seven balls later. Bangladesh's last four wickets fell for nine runs, and that could have been fewer but for some clumsiness by South Africa in the field. Wolvaardt dropped two catches in total and they gave away 22 extras, 17 wides in total, which will be an area of concern.
Bangladesh made only one glaring error in the field when they could have had a wicket as early as the eighth ball. Tazmin Brits, playing in place of Lizelle Lee, chipped Trisna to mid-on. The chance was simple, and at catchable height, but was put down. It took Brits 19 deliveries and until the middle of the sixth over to get off the mark. She did with a heave over mid-on to hit Trisna for four.
Wolvaardt was on 16 at the time and benefitted from some early width from Jahanara Alam but only brought out her signature drive at the end of the seventh over, when she beat a packed offside field. Just as the opening pair seemed to settle, Bangladesh separated them. Brits flicked a Trishna inswinger to Ahmed at midwicket to end a laboured innings on 8.
The dismissal came in the first of five boundary-less overs, which were ended when Wolvaardt cut Salma Khatun past backward point before Lara Goodall brought up South Africa's 50 off 79 balls. Their run-rate remained sluggish as Bangladesh squeezed and then seized the advantage with two wickets in four deliveries.
Wolvaardt was bowled by Moni as she tried to drive through the offside against a delivery that moved slightly inwards, missed the inside edge and found the stumps. Then Goodall reverse swept Salma to backward point where Ahmed took a diving catch to leave South Africa on 70 for 3 and it was up to current captain, Sune Luus, and former captain Mignon du Preez to rebuild.
Bangladesh gave away just 22 runs in the next nine overs and with pressure building, du Preez chipped a return catch back to Ahmed. Her departure made Luus more aggressive and she brought out the sweep but with confidence but just as she was hitting her stride, she was run-out at the non-striker's end, backing up too far when Kapp punched an Ahmed delivery down the pitch and the ball deflected off the bowler's fingers onto the stumps.
South Africa could have lost Tryon in the next over when she was given out lbw by a Tryon delivery that swung in but she edged it onto her pad and reviewed successfully. She went on to hit the first six of the innings when she charged Ahmed and hit her over long-on, arguably South Africa's most confident shot of the innings.
South Africa entered the last 10 overs on 153 for 5 and Kapp took it on herself to attack. She sent Moni wide of point and Salma over midwicket but it was only Tryon who could breach the boundary for six again. She hit Salma over long-on but then miscued Alam to mid-off four balls later to leave it to the tail to finish.
Trisha Chetty was trapped lbw by Trisna and Shabnim Ismail hit Trisna to point to give Trisna a career-best before Kapp tried to hit Jahanara over midwicket but Hoque ran in from the deep and took a good catch. South Africa managed just 16 runs for the loss of four wickets but asked Bangladesh to complete their second highest successful chase ever. In the end, it was too much.
Source: ESPNcricinfo