Hosts South Africa have managed to defeat Bangladesh in their last league match of the tournament, securing a place in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. South Africa finished second in their group below Australia, meaning they’ll play England at the same Newlands venue on Friday, 24th February.
Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first on a decent-seeming track. In what seemed like a one-sided game, South Africa managed to reduce Bangladesh to 114 in their allocated 20 overs. Skipper Nigar Sultana was the highest run-getter for Bangladesh in the match, scoring 30 off 34 balls. Throughout the innings, the Bangladeshi batters struggled hard to get going, and only managed to hit 7 fours. Marizane Kapp was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa, picking up a figure of 2 for 17 from her 4 overs.
In reply, South Africa chased down the target with much ease, eventually winning the match by 10 wickets. South African openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits both managed to reach their fifties. Wolvaardt was the highest scorer in the game with 66 runs off 56 balls. The only six in the game also came off of her bat as well.
The South African batters started off slow but as they picked up the pace, they managed to chase down the target in just 17.5 overs. Wolvaardt was awarded the Player of the Match title for her brilliant innings.
South Africa had had a shaky tournament up until this game. They lost their first game against Sri Lanka but managed to bounce back in the next game against New Zealand. However, when they lost their third game against reigning champions Australia, this was a must-win game for them. Bangladesh finished at the bottom of the table, having lost all 4 of their games. South Africa will now face England in the second semi-final on Friday whereas the first semi-final will be played between India and Australia tomorrow.
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