South Africa held its nerve to beat Bangladesh by three wickets at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday, climbing to third in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 standings and pushing India down a spot. The defeat — Bangladesh’s third in a row — left Nigar Sultana’s side languishing in sixth place.

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!

For the second game running, Nadine de Klerk was South Africa’s saviour. With the chase wobbling at 198 for seven, the 25-year-old strode out and turned tension into control, striking 37 off 29 balls. Needing 35 from the final five overs, she kept her composure before sealing the win in style — lofting Nahida Akter over long-on for six with three balls to spare.

Improved Bangladesh batting and Shorna’s power

Bangladesh’s top order finally found some stability, stringing together partnerships that gave its innings substance, if not speed. Openers Fargana Hoque and Rubya Haider laid the platform with a 53-run stand, before captain Nigar Sultana Joty joined Sharmin Akter Supta to add 77 through the middle overs. But it was 18-year-old Shorna Akter who changed the tone of the innings, thumping an unbeaten 51 off just 35 balls — three fours, three sixes — to lift the Tigresses to a competitive 232 for six.

Fielding fumbles

The dew and intermittent drizzle, which briefly threatened to halt play, made fielding tricky — and Bangladesh paid for it. Several catches went down, none more crucial than the one in the penultimate over of South Africa’s chase. De Klerk, looking to finish the job, lofted Rabeya Khan toward long-off, where Shorna Akter misjudged and spilled a straightforward chance. She saved the boundary, but not the match. Had that catch been held, Bangladesh might well have celebrated its second win of the tournament.

Published on Oct 14, 2025