The venue of the match was the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Toss, Conditions and Team Strategy: Bangladesh was the first to win the toss and chose to bat first hoping to make a good total on a pitch that had exhibited tendency to be biased towards spinners and slower bowlers as the game went on. The climate was fair, not very hot, and a cloud in the sky and freshness in the air, and, as the dew had to fall, there was a discussion which side would have the advantage.The pitch was fairly recent, and there were patches in play; commentators had made suggestions that the contest was going to be based on spin and precision.South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt acknowledged that she could have bowled herself, however, she did not have any qualification to take up the second batting and she thought the dew would help the batters later in the overs.
The post-match comments by Nigar Sultana, the captain of Bangladesh, showed that she was proud of the fact that her comparatively young team struggled till the end and that they did not want to lose any wicket during the powerplay and wanted to establish a partnership in the middle.
Bangladesh Innings:
The Bangladesh opening was not very decisive. They were unable to change starts into big scores through their openers and as the second half approached, the team was slowing down.
The driving force was to a great extent the result of Shorna Akter who created a whirlwind knock that hoisted her side. She scored a 51 off 35 balls and this proved to be a vital inning in adding respectability to the Bangladesh score.
The later assaults by her had seen the Bangladeshi batters add 57 runs in final the last 5 overs, which hastened the innings.
The latter late blitz saw to it that Bangladesh had a 232/6 in their 50 overs.
Nigar Sultana and Sharmin Akhter were equally helpful in the middle and sewed a few partnerships to avoid collapsing of inning in the early stages.
The early wicket preservation and late attacks partly worked out in the strategy of Bangladesh, but the late hitting put their lower middle order under pressure.
South Africa Chase:
South Africa began in an unstable position. They were losing wickets in typical intervals and their dramatic collapse occurred: having been at 58/1, they dropped down to 78/5 losing four wickets in the 23rd over by incurring 20 runs only.
At this point, the game seemed to be going to the side of Bangladesh.However, with misfortune, two senior all-rounders, Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon, orchestrated a comeback. They joined hands in an important 85-run partnership for the sixth wicket to put the pursuit back on track. Tryon offered a stable hand and Kapp retaliated where needed.Tryon later hit 62 off 69 balls, and became the winner of the Player of the Match award due to her performance in stress.
Following the dismissal of Kapp, Bangladesh smelled of an opening and they again struck--Chloe Tryon was run out in the 45th over, leaving South Africa with 198/7. It was then that things appeared extremely difficult to the Proteas.
The last part was the one of Nadine de Klerk. She, together with Masabata Klaas, had been playing calmly and made calculated risks. De Klerk pressure-soaked and played around with the strike and eventually closed the game in the 49.3 over.
The climax was when she hit an over deep mid-wicket a full toss from the last bowler, Nahida Akter, with a six, bringing on a classical victory.
South Africa Final score was 235/7 (49.3 overs)
Key Moments & Turning Points:
There were a number of critical moments in this game:
- The Kapp-Tryon Partnership: The pursuit appeared to be doomed at 78/5. Their 85-run partnership stabilized the first time and allowed South Africa a serious opportunity.
- Bangladesh' Dropped catches: Bangladesh dropped Shorna Akter on top of Rabeya Khan in the penultimate over. That lifeline enabled de Klerk to go on with her pursuit.
- The Run-out of Tryon: Tryon was dismissed in the 45 th over and South Africa was now left on the knife edge.
- De klerk' Calmness under pressure: De Klerk was able to rotate strike, handle the risk and subsequently create the final boundary, which seared the contest.
- Bangladesh late acceleration: Bangladesh had recorded a competitive figure though in the field their middle to lower order failed to maintain the momentum when it counted.
Reactions & Significance: The outcome attracted opposite feelings in both camps.Laura Wolvaardt admitted that the victory was not what they wanted but commended the determination of her side especially those made by the lower order.
She pointed out the lap-shot of Klaas towards the conclusion as one to be remembered.
Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana took pride in the fact that her team fought to the end ball. She also admitted that they could have lost to them by 10-15 runs, and that even though the outcome was devastating, her team would take lessons out of the game.In the case of South Africa, this marked their third consecutive chase Victory in the tournament on the run and this strengthened their image as a team that withstands pressure.
The victory also helped them rise up in the points table and their morale as they had the remaining matches
In the case of Bangladesh, as painful as it was to lose, acts such as the one by Shorna and the fight till the final ball gave it hope and faith in the future.
Conclusion:
The 13 October 2025 match will be remembered as one of the best instances of drama in the women in cricket. South Africa who lost half their side early, supported themselves with experience and richness of batting. Bangladesh, too, demonstrated character--the scalding performance of Shorna and the struggle of the two remaining overs enabled them to stay in the match to the end. Eventually, it was steady nerves, experience, and performance when faced with pressure that saw South Africa win by a slim margin of 3 wickets, but worth achieving. The final touch that De Klerk will make will be repeated numerous times, and the competition will become another part of the increasing excitement of Women World Cup 2025.
Brief scores: Bangladesh 232/6 in 50 overs (Shorna Akter 51*, Sharmin Akhter 50; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2-42) lost to South Africa 235/7 in 49.3 overs (Chloe Tryon 62, Marizanne Kapp 56; Nahida Akter 2-44) by 3 wickets.