Bangladesh played out of their skins last night and put in a credible performance with bat and ball, but despite all of that they came up short against South Africa by 3 wickets with 3 balls to spare. It was a thriller of a game where the pendulum swung from one team to another. In the end, South Africa will be relieved in getting the win. There were few areas where Bangladesh fell short and we will try and list those reasons for their loss against South Africa.
Slow Start in Powerplay hampers Bangladesh
Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first and hoped they would get off to a solid start. While they started well with regards to wickets lost, they played too many dot balls. They were slow off the blocks and initially managed to score only 9 runs in the first 5 overs. Then they managed to up the ante a bit but made only 28 runs in the first 10 overs. Once, only 28 runs were on the board after 10 overs, there was a feeling that Bangladesh were slow off the blocks.
It meant Bangladesh had to play catch up throughout the innings and couldn’t quite accelerate properly. They did so for a bit in the middle overs but were still behind the game. Yes, the last 10 overs was good for Bangladesh and that helped them get 230 odd. But we knew they had left a few runs out there on the field. The strike rotation was an issue in the powerplay and later on in the middle overs and it meant that Bangladesh with wickets in hand had all to do in the back 10 overs.
Going forward, Bangladesh will aim to get to a quicker start in the powerplay. Yes, it is good to have wickets in hand, but need to get off to a better start as far as run scoring is concerned. If Bangladesh manage to score 40-45 in the powerplay, it will go a long way in helping the run rate to improve. Yes, they must also make sure they have wickets in hand at the end of the powerplay.
Marufa Akter going wicketless hurts Bangladesh badl
Bangladesh did well to get to 232 but now needed early wickets to put pressure on South Africa. The spinners stepped up and got wickets at regular intervals. But Bangladesh would have hoped for their talisman pace bowler to step up and unfortunately she didn’t. Marufa Akter was expected to spearhead the attack and take early wickets in the powerplay. But she had another ordinary outing in the game.
Marufa failed to get breakthroughs in the powerplay while the spinners were great and got the wickets for the team. It meant Bangladesh were handicapped as their main pace bowler was not giving them the wickets. Marufa needs to be more consistent with her performance and deliver for the team as she is the lone pacer and expected to take regular wickets for the team. Yes, she is young and will be better off for the experience. But Marufa will be hoping that in the coming games she can deliver wickets for her team.
Going forward, Marufa will want to be more consistent with her performances and hope to do well for Bangladesh. Bangladesh may not qualify for the next stage, but have given good account of themselves in this tournament. Marufa if she starts well can run through an opposition and must do so to give Bangladesh a good chance in the coming games. It will not be easy, but she must be up for the challenge.
Multiple dropped catches hurt Bangladesh
It was a close game and one that could have gone either way. When such a game happens, there is these little moments that make a huge difference to a side. Bangladesh had theirs but dropped catches came back to haunt them in the end. They first dropped Laura Wolvaardt when she was on 11 when Rabeya Khan dropped her off her own bowling. She made 20 more runs after that before being run out.
There were multiple ground fielding lapses as well as that allowed South Africa easy runs as the Bangladesh captain was frustrated with those sloppy efforts. There was a dropped catch here and there but the decisive dropped catch happened in the 49th over. Nadine de Klerk was batting with the tail and was on strike and she miscued the ball down to long-off. Shorna Akter who played a blinder earlier in the day settled underneath it and put it down. It was not only the catch was dropped, but the match was dropped as well. Nadine then made the most of the opportunity and got her side over the line in 49.3 overs.
It was relief for the South Africans as Bangladesh must have thought what might have been for them. As the old saying goes, catches win matches and Bangladesh dropped an important one at a crucial juncture. Good teams will make you pay for those errors. Going forward, Bangladesh needs to work on these one percenters and ground fielding in order to be a good side challenging other teams as well. Fielding is a key aspect of this game.
What Lies Ahead
The bandwagon moves from Vizag to Colombo for Match 15 of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 as New Zealand are set to do battle with Sri Lanka in a crucial clash for both teams. Both teams are in need of a win. Sri Lanka needs it more. Let’s wait and see which team comes out on top at the end of the night in Colombo.
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