In Match 14 of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, we will see South Africa in action as they clash with Bangladesh in Visakhapatnam. It is a contrasting tale of two teams in this competition. Bangladesh started with a thumping win over Pakistan before losing their last two games against England and New Zealand. While South Africa were thrashed by England in their first game before bouncing back to beat New Zealand and India and now are in 4th place.
South Africa under Laura Wolvaardt has gelled well as well-oiled machine with different players putting their hands up at times in the last two games. They will desperately aim to get two points from this game and stay in the semi-finals race. Bangladesh under Nigar Sultana Joty have bowled well but their batting under pressure has crumbled and so they lost. But it is a learning team and one which can test South Africa but have to improve their batting by leaps and bounds to cause an upset. A good encounter is in prospect.
Overview
It’s a tale of two teams with one team moving onwards and upwards after a disastrous start and for the other it is going downhill after a stunning start to their campaign. South Africa are set to clash with Bangladesh at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. South Africa had a shocker of a start when they were bundled out for just 69 runs against England in their opening game.
They bounced back well to beat New Zealand by six wickets on the back of a fine bowling performance and a Tazmin Brits special with the bat. Following this, the Proteas overcame a tough Indian challenge at the same venue on Thursday. They have the momentum and are looking to make it 3 wins in a row.
A collective bowling performance from the Proteas had India under pressure at 102/6. Despite the impressive bowling from Chloe Tryon, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Nonkululeko Mlaba, and Tumi Sekhukhune, South Africa were chasing 252 as they failed to stop Richa Ghosh’s onslaught.
Brits was out for a duck. Experienced Sune Luus and Kapp were dismissed cheaply. Anneke Bosch’s poor run of form continued. Sinalo Jafta failed to meet expectations with the bat. All these saw South Africa reeling at 81/5, with skipper Laura Wolvaardt helplessly watching at the other end. She hit a fighting half-century to keep her side in the hunt.
Chloe Tryon then chipped in with the bat and got the team to a better position alongside de Klerk. The former missed out on her fifty by a run. The latter pulled off a miracle with her unbeaten 84 off 54 balls, stunning India with a three-wicket thrilling win.
This will be South Africa’s 50th appearance at Women’s ODI World Cup. Vizag has already witnessed a couple of run fests. Dew is definitely playing a role, and the chasing side has managed to pull off incredible run chases in the two matches played this competition. There is also a forecast for rain. South Africa’s previous match at the venue was delayed by rain. Meanwhile, the high voltage India vs Australia clash wasn’t interrupted by rain on Sunday, but the heavens opened up post the winning hit from Ellyse Perry.
On the other hand, Bangladesh brushed aside Pakistan in a one-sided affair to start the competition on a high note. Then an inspiring performance against England saw them give a massive scare to the 2022 runners-up, but they didn’t end up on the right side of the result. However, they are coming off a 100-run hammering at the hands of New Zealand.
Marufa Akter failed to pick up wickets with the new ball, but Bangladesh weren’t on the back foot when they reduced New Zealand to 38/3. Veteran Sophie Devine’s experience didn’t allow the Asian side to run through New Zealand’s middle order. Despite all this, Bangladesh restricted White Ferns to 227/9, which was still a pretty good effort from the Nigar Sultana-led side. Rabeya Khan was the star with the ball as she finished with 3/30. The rest of the bowling attack chipped away with timely breakthroughs.
It was the turn of their batters to step up, and they didn’t turn up yet again. They were 33/6 and then 66/7, exposing their lacklustre top and middle orders. Skipper Nigar Sultana has also been under par with the bat. Fahima Khatun top scored with 34. Rabeya and Nahida Akter chipped in with a couple of little knocks to avoid the embarrassment as Bangladesh managed to get past 100 and eventually were bundled out for 127.
Things don’t get easier for Bangladesh as South Africa are on a mission and have momentum with them getting into this clash. So, the stage is set and only time will tell whether Bangladesh can upstage South Africa and get back to winning ways.
Head-To-Head
South Africa and Bangladesh have faced against each other in 21 matches with South Africa winning 18 off them and Bangladesh 3. It is 9-1 to South Africa in the last 10 matches with Bangladesh’s last win coming against South Africa in South Africa in 2023. These two teams last met in the year 2023.
Pitch and Weather Report
The pitch in Visakhapatnam has been the most batting friendly venue of this World Cup so far with a high scoring pitch laid out during the India-Australia clash. We can expect more of the same on Monday when these two teams clash against each other.
As far as the weather is concerned, there is a chance of rain in the afternoon. But the weather is expected to clear up later in the day. The temperature will peak around 31 degrees Celsius with high humidity. Dew has been a factor in the evening and could influence the captain’s decision at the toss.
Possible/Predicted Playing XIs of both teams.
Here, we will predict the possible playing XIs of both sides.
South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Bangladesh XI: Rubya Haider, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (c & wk), Sobhana Mostary, MST Sumaiya Akhter, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Nahida Akter, Rabeya Khan, Marufa Akter, Nishita Akter Nishi.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash.
Laura Wolvaardt: The captain of South Africa came to the party when it mattered against India. Her solid innings of 70 went a long way in establishing a foundation for the others to chip in and finish off the game in the end. On a flat deck, Laura will be keen to give her team a fast start and see how things go from there. Whenever she does well, South Africa generally go on to win games.
Marizanne Kapp: Marizanne Kapp may have had an off game against India, but expect her to bounce back in this clash against Bangladesh. She makes the new ball talk and gives early wickets to her side and then with bat in hand, she plays an important role at Number 4. We expect Kapp to do well as she will be raring to go as a proper all-rounder in this clash and can bring victory for South Africa.
Nigar Sultana: The captain of Bangladesh has had an underwhelming campaign so far with bat in hand. But on a flat deck, she will be keen to get back into form and get a big knock as well. Batting at 3, she can hold the innings together and if Sultana does well, Bangladesh can manage to post a total of above 250 which will be needed as a bare minimum on this pitch. The batting has to come good and Sultana is the key to that.
Marufa Akter: Marufa Akter is the lone pacer for Bangladesh but she is the talisman of this line-up. Marufa will be expected to give early wickets and make inroads in the South African batting line-up. She was off colour against New Zealand in the last game, but will be keen to bounce back in this game although the pitch will be a belter most probably. She will have her work cut out but is expected to do well again.
Key Stats/Records to watch out for in this clash.
- Anneke Bosch requires 2 fours to reach 50 ODI fours.
- Sune Luus needs 2 fours to complete 250 ODI fours.
- Chloe Tryon is 7 fours away from 200 ODI fours.
- Nonkululeko Mlaba needs 6 wickets to reach 50 ODI wickets.
- Sharmin Akhter requires 3 fours to complete 150 ODI fours.
- Ritu Moni needs 2 fours to reach 50 ODI fours.
Possible/Predicted Outcome of the Match.
It’s a crucial clash in the World Cup as we head to the business end of the tournament. Anything can happen on a given day. But looking at current form and the team on paper, we feel South Africa has all bases covered. So, they will start as overwhelming favourites to win the match and climb upwards in the table. Bangladesh have to play out of their skins and bat brilliantly to cause a monumental upset. Can they do it? We shall find out soon.
The stage is set and we hope for another uninterrupted game in Vizag later today.
Also Read: ICC Women’s ODI WC 2025: All-Round Batting Performance Helps India Post 330.