South Africa beat Bangladesh by three wickets on Monday at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam to leapfrog India in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 standings and sit in third place. Bangladesh, on the other hand, slipped to sixth after suffering three consecutive defeats.
Here are the major talking points from the Bangladesh vs South Africa Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 match:
Nadine de Klerk saves the day, again!
The win against Bangladesh was the second match in a row where all-rounder de Klerk’s (37 off 29 balls) pyrotechnics rescued the Proteas from the jaws of defeat. The 25-year-old walked in the crease with South Africa at 198 for seven. The chasing side needed 35 runs from the last five overs and the batter smacked a six off Nahida Akter in the last over to get her side over the line with three balls to spare.
Improved Bangladesh batting and Shorna’s power
Bangladesh’s top order was finally able to stitch together fruitful partnerships and display steady batting, although scoring at a very slow rate. Openers Fargana Hoque and Rubya Haider added 53 runs for the first wicket before skipper Nigar Sultana Joty and Sharmin Akter Supta put up 77-run stand in the middle overs. Teenager Shorna Akter then flexed her muscle and smashed an unbeaten 51 off 35 balls, peppering the ground with three fours and three sixes, to help the Tigresses get to 232 in 50 overs.
Fielding fumbles
The dew and the light rain, which at one point threatened to interrupt the match, might have played a role in some fielding fumbles and dropped catches, but some of them turned out to be match-defining. It was in the penultimate over of South Africa’s chase that Bangladesh had the chance to see the back of the dangerous de Klerk. The batter went for the big hit off Rabeya Khan and Shorna was stationed at long off. But the 18-year-old fluffed the catch, although preventing the ball from touching the ropes. If that catch would have been taken, Bangladesh could have quite possibly notched up its second win of the tournament.
Published on Oct 14, 2025
