The South Africa women’s cricket team bounced back to level the series with a four-wicket victory in the second one-day international at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
The Bangladesh women’s cricket team, who won the low-scoring first game by two wickets, were thumped by the Proteas as their modest total of 179 runs was not enough to hold the South Africans at bay.
Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bat and managed to post a fairly impressive179 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their stipulated fifty overs. The start was shaky, as it was in the first ODI as the home side found themselves three wickets down within a span of the first 15 overs.
While Sharmin Akhter provided the proper ignition before being castled by van Niekrek, it was the partnership of Lata Mondol and Farzana Haque that helped the hosts to set up a decent target for the away team.
Lata, who achieved her debut half-century, continued her impressive form with the bat following on from her heroics in the previous ODI.
South Africa’s main concern once again stood to be giving away too many extras, 23 runs this time compared to the 17 that they had doled out in the last encounter.
Van Niekrek was the outstanding bowler for the Proteas giving away only 30 runs in the span of 10 overs as well as picking up 2 wickets.
The South Africans took to the pitch with a target of 180 and it was an enthralling drama till the last run. Part of this owed much to the awful start that the visitors made after they lost their first three wickets inside the eighth over. But Allison Hodgkinson batted sensibly, playing the sheet anchor role as she compiled a sedate 33 off 64 balls.
But it was the player of the match Dane van Niekrek who took the Africans to victory hitting 45 off 64 balls including 3 boundaries and a six. The crucial partnership between her and Shabnim Ismail at the end caused a nervy showdown at a point where it could have been anyone’s game.
A couple of horrendous fielding mistakes saw three catches being dropped including two alone by the hapless Tazia Akhter.
After the match captain Salma Khatun bemoaned the fielding gaffes that she felt had cost them a valuable victory.
“Probably if it wasn’t for those missed catches we’d have a completely different story on our side,” she said.
The series is now tied intriguingly at 1-1 and the winners will be decided in the do-or-die clash of the third and final ODI at the same venue on Sunday.
SCORES IN BRIEF
BANGLADESH: 179-7 in 50 overs (Sharmin 14, Lata 52, Farzana 55, extras 23; van Niekerk 2-30, Loubser 2-26)
SOUTH AFRICA: 180-6 in 49.2 overs (Hodgkinson 33, Kapp 39, van Niekerk 45 not out, Ismail 24 not out, extras 11; Jahanara 3-35, Salma 2-25)
Result: South Africa women’s team won by four wickets.
Player-of-the-match: D van Niekerk (South Africa)
-With The Daily Star input
