Tournament debutants impress with the ball on a surface providing help to bowlers

South Africa women 207 all out (Kapp 42, Trisna 3-35) v Bangladesh women

Overall, Bangladesh gave an exceptional account of themselves against a team they have only beaten twice in 18 meetings. Their attack were disciplined and incisive, their fielding was sharp and they took almost all their chances apart from an early miss that ended up not costing them too much.

Bangladesh could have had a wicket as early as the eighth ball when Tazmin Brits, playing in place of Lizelle Lee, chipped Trisna to mid-on. The chance was simple, and at catchable height, but was put down. Later in the same over, Trisna beat Brits’ defence, hit her on the pad and appealed for lbw but Bangladesh chose not to review a shout that appeared a touch high. It took Brits 19 deliveries and until the middle of the sixth over to get off the mark. She did with a heave over mid-on to hit Trisna for four.

The dismissal came in the first of five boundary-less overs, which were ended when Wolvaardt cut Salma Khatun past backward point before Lara Goodall brought up South Africa’s 50 off 79 balls. Their run-rate remained sluggish as Bangladesh squeezed and then seized the advantage with two wickets in four deliveries.

Wolvaardt was bowled by Ritu Moni as she tried to drive through the offside against a delivery that moved slightly inwards, missed the inside edge and found the stumps. Then Goodall reverse swept Salma to backward point where Ahmed took a diving catch to leave South Africa on 70 for 3 and it was up to current captain, Sune Luus, and former captain Mignon du Preez to rebuild.

Bangladesh gave away just 11 runs in the next five overs before du Preez hit Ahmed down the ground for four but was then forced back into a shell. Another 11 runs came from the next four overs and with pressure building, du Preez chipped a return catch back to Ahmed.

Her departure made Luus more aggressive and she brought out the sweep but with confidence but just as she was hitting her stride, she was run-out at the non-striker’s end, backing up too far when Kapp punched an Ahmed delivery down the pitch and the ball deflected off the bowler’s fingers onto the stumps. South Africa could have lost Tryon in the next over when she was given out lbw by a Tryon delivery that swung in but she edged it onto her pad and reviewed successfully. She went on to hit the first six of the innings when she charged Ahmed and hit her over long-on, arguably South Africa’s most confident shot of the innings.

South Africa entered the last 10 overs on 153 for 5 and with the need for acceleration pressing. Kapp took it on herself to attack and sent Moni wide of point and Salma over midwicket but it was only Tryon who could breach the boundary for six again. She hit Salma over long-on but then miscued Alam to mid-off four balls later to leave it to the tail to finish.

Trisha Chetty was trapped lbw by Trisna and Shabnim Ismail hit Trisna to point to give Trisna a career-best before Kapp tried to hit Jahanara over midwicket but Fargana Hoque ran in from the deep and took a good catch. South Africa managed just 16 runs for the loss of four wickets in the last five overs to leave Bangladesh with a tough, but chaseable total.