Under immense pressure, Bangladesh`s critical dropped catches and challenging dew conditions allowed South Africa to secure a narrow victory in the Women`s World Cup 2025.
In a recurring pattern, Bangladesh had formidable opponents reeling at 78 for 5 in two recent Women`s World Cup 2025 matches – first in Guwahati, then in Visakhapatnam. Despite creating such precarious situations for their adversaries, they ultimately lost both contests. Against England, they defended a modest 178 valiantly, and on Monday, they posted a more competitive 232 against South Africa, a total seemingly defensible by their bowling unit. However, crucial fielding errors, including three dropped catches, allowed South Africa to secure a thrilling three-wicket victory.
Captain Nigar Sultana acknowledged that Bangladesh`s bowlers struggled with accuracy in the closing overs, frequently delivering full tosses or predictable deliveries, a problem she attributed to the heavy dew. She also suggested that a calmer approach from her players might have altered the game`s outcome.
“Gripping the ball was incredibly difficult due to the pervasive dew,” Sultana stated during the post-match press conference. “The ball was consistently wet. I deployed our premier bowlers in the crucial death overs. Maintaining momentum can be challenging, but our bowlers performed admirably. Crucially, we gained valuable experience today that will benefit us moving forward.”
Addressing the fielding mistakes, she remarked, “Such errors can occur in a game, but conditions were exceptionally challenging. Under immense pressure, both bowlers and fielders struggled to grip the ball effectively. While I hesitate to offer excuses, maintaining composure is vital in such circumstances. We squandered crucial opportunities; had we held onto those catches, the outcome could have been entirely different.”
Early in the match, Rabeya Khan failed to convert a caught-and-bowled opportunity against South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt when she was at 11 runs; Wolvaardt subsequently contributed a steady 31. As the chase intensified, Bangladesh`s fielding woes continued with two critical dropped catches. Substitute Sumaiya Akter put down Chloe Tryon at wide long-on when Tryon was on 46, with South Africa requiring 53 runs off 42 balls. Later, Shorna Akter dropped an easy catch at long-off, leaving South Africa needing just 9 runs off 8 deliveries, a moment that visibly frustrated bowler Rabeya. With the dangerous Nadine de Klerk (on 26) and Masabata Klaas at the crease, de Klerk then decisively hit the winning runs in the very next over, scoring a four and a match-winning six – a repeat performance from a previous game.
“I am not disappointed; rather, I am incredibly proud,” Nigar asserted. “The team fought tirelessly for every single ball. Controlling such a closely contested game was no easy feat, and as captain, I am thrilled to see my team give 110%.”
“Of course, there will be a sense of regret, as winning such tight matches would have been a momentous occasion for the squad,” she added. “We recognize significant areas for improvement and are determined to perform better in our remaining three fixtures.”
Dew was evident from the outset of South Africa`s chase, with Bangladesh`s swing bowler Marufa Akter frequently resorting to a towel to dry the ball. Considering the anticipation of significant dew later in the evening, and Australia`s recent demonstration against India that chasing even large totals was viable, Bangladesh`s decision to bat first after winning the toss raised questions.
“Chasing hasn`t been successful for us,” Nigar explained, referring to their previous game where batters struggled in the powerplay and lost early wickets. “Our initial strategy was to bat first and provide our bowlers with a total to defend, as they have been performing strongly. Bowling is the one area where we feel we have excellent control, which influenced our decision to bat first.”
“Our aim was to allow our batters to play without undue pressure and then leverage our bowling strength, supported by a decent score, to put pressure on South Africa.”
In their pursuit of 228 against New Zealand in Guwahati, Bangladesh collapsed to 33 for 6 and were eventually bowled out for 128, with none of their top five batters reaching double figures. Against South Africa, the top order adopted a more cautious, albeit slow, start, aiming to accelerate later. This acceleration materialized thanks to 18-year-old Shorna, who scored an unbeaten 51 off just 35 balls after coming in during the 41st over. Nevertheless, even a total of 232 proved insufficient.
“We fell short of our target by 15-20 runs,” Nigar concluded. “Those runs could have been achieved if our top order had rotated the strike more effectively. Furthermore, a stronger fielding effort was needed. Despite the loss, we should not feel disappointed or heartbroken.”
