South Africa Women edged past Bangladesh Women by four wickets with four balls to spare in the 29th match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 at Lord's. After being asked to bat first, Bangladesh Women managed to score 117/5 in 20 overs against the disciplined bowling attack of South Africa Women. Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/22 in 4 overs), Marizanne Kapp (1/9 in 4 overs), and Shabnim Ismail (1/15 in 4 overs) kept their lines and lengths tight and did not allow the Bangladesh batters to score freely. Sobhana Mostary remained the top scorer for Bangladesh Women.

While chasing, the target initially looked easy, but South Africa Women lost Laura Wolvaardt on the very first ball of the innings. Tazmin Brits added 52 runs with Annerie Dercksen for the second wicket, but Bangladesh Women kept the scoring rate under control. South Africa Women started losing wickets at regular intervals under pressure. Nahida Akter (2/24 in 4 overs), Ritu Moni (1/24 in 4 overs), and Rabeya Khatun (0/17 in 4 overs) kept things tight with disciplined bowling.

South Africa Women lost Nadine de Klerk in the 19th over and needed five runs to win in the final over. Chloe Tryon took South Africa Women across the finish line with four balls to spare.

South Africa stayed in the race for a semi-final spot after defeating Bangladesh in a thrilling contest at Lord's. However, the victory came only after a tense run chase that went down to the final over in the first-ever international match between the two teams at the iconic venue.

Kapp and Ismail Put Bangladesh Under Early Pressure

Marizanne Kapp gave South Africa the perfect start by taking a wicket with the very first ball of the match. Returning to the same ground where she produced a remarkable spell of 4 for 9 during the inaugural Hundred final in 2021, Kapp bowled a full delivery that beat Juairiya Ferdous' attempted shot and crashed into the stumps.

Kapp remained extremely economical throughout her spell, conceding only nine runs in four overs while taking one wicket.

Shabnim Ismail built on that momentum by bowling a maiden over immediately after. Bangladesh struggled to score freely as South Africa maintained relentless pressure.

Ismail then removed Taj Nehar with a delivery that moved back sharply and struck her on the front pad. Nehar reviewed the decision, but ball tracking showed umpire's call on the stumps, ending her slow innings of just one run from 12 balls.

Bangladesh found themselves under immense pressure early in the innings.

Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary Rescue Bangladesh

After the early setbacks, Sharmin Akhter and Sobhana Mostary slowly rebuilt the innings. Bangladesh reached only 23 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, but the pair showed patience and determination. They added 56 runs for the third wicket from 62 deliveries to stabilize the innings.

With Kapp completing her spell early, South African captain Laura Wolvaardt rotated her bowlers. Nadine de Klerk entered the attack but saw Sobhana confidently pull a short ball over deep square leg for six.

The partnership finally ended in the 15th over when Nonkululeko Mlaba tossed one up outside the leg stump. Sharmin stepped out to attack but missed the turn completely as the ball struck the stumps.

Sobhana continued to bat steadily before scoring 42 from 48 deliveries. She eventually mistimed a short delivery from de Klerk and was caught at short third. Captain Nigar Sultana then provided the late acceleration Bangladesh needed. She remained unbeaten on 32 from just 20 balls, scoring at a much quicker pace than the rest of the batting lineup and helping Bangladesh finish with 117 for 5.

South Africa Lose Wolvaardt on the First Ball

South Africa's chase got off to the worst possible start. Laura Wolvaardt, who had already struggled for runs throughout the tournament, was dismissed with the very first delivery. Marufa Akter bowled a swinging ball that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad before knocking over the off stump.

South Africa suddenly found themselves at 0 for 1 and without their most reliable batter. Tazmin Brits, despite appearing to struggle with a glute injury, joined new No. 3 batter Annerie Dercksen to rebuild the innings.

The memories of South Africa's earlier collapse against Pakistan remained fresh, but Dercksen responded positively. Her first boundary came through an inside edge before she confidently launched Sanjida Akter Meghla over cow corner for six. Dercksen and Brits shared a valuable 57-run partnership for the second wicket and slowly brought South Africa back into the contest.

Bangladesh Continue to Fight Back

Bangladesh refused to let South Africa take complete control. Brits and Dane van Niekerk were dismissed in successive overs, reducing South Africa to 59 for 3 at the halfway stage. The Proteas still required another 59 runs from the final ten overs.

Dercksen continued to hold the innings together and guided South Africa closer to victory. She departed after reducing the target to just 31 runs, leaving the responsibility to the experienced Marizanne Kapp and the lower order.

Bangladesh's Brilliant Fielding Keeps Match Alive

Bangladesh produced an outstanding effort in the field and continued applying pressure until the very end. Following Dercksen's dismissal, South Africa failed to score a boundary for 18 consecutive deliveries. Every run became increasingly difficult as Bangladesh's bowlers maintained tight lines and their fielders backed them up brilliantly.

Nadine de Klerk eventually broke the pressure with a boundary through the covers off Nahida Akter. However, the very next ball created fresh drama. De Klerk attempted a quick single after pushing the ball towards point. Kapp hesitated before responding, and Sharmin Akhter quickly collected the ball and fired a direct throw to the wicketkeeper's end. Kapp was comfortably run out. Bangladesh suddenly sensed another upset, while India also remained interested in the result because of its impact on the semi-final race.

South Africa Hold Their Nerve in Final Over

Despite the setback, Nadine de Klerk continued attacking. She moved across her stumps and struck Nahida Akter over square leg for another important boundary, reducing the required equation to ten runs from the final two overs.

South Africa collected five runs from the first four deliveries of the penultimate over. Looking to finish the match in style, de Klerk attempted another big shot but mistimed a slower ball from Ritu Moni. Shorna Akter completed an excellent catch at deep midwicket.

With five runs needed from the final five balls, South Africa stayed calm. They completed the chase just two deliveries into the last over to secure a hard-fought victory.

The narrow win keeps South Africa's hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, but their fate now depends entirely on Australia's result against India later in the day.

Brief Scorecard