Women's World Cup: South Africa beat Bangladesh in low-scoring thriller
South Africa opened their ICC Women's World Cup campaign with a thrilling victory over Bangladesh at the University Oval, Dunedin. They successfully defended 207 after bowling out Bangladesh on 175. Medium-pacer Ayabonga Khaka stood out, taking four wickets. Earlier, South Africa faced a batting collapse as they were rolled over in the 50th over. Here are the key records.
How did the match pan out?
South Africa had a steady start after Bangladesh elected to field. Laura Wolvaardt scored a defiant 41 even though she fell short of partners. None of the middle-order batters could capitalize upon their starts. Marizanne Kapp was SA's top scorer in the innings (42 off 45). SA crawled their way to 207. Bangladesh were 69/0 in the run-chase, but Khaka destroyed their batting order.
Player of the Match
Khaka was the pick of SA's bowlers in the match. She took four wickets for just 32 runs in 10 overs. The tally includes three maiden overs. Khaka was named the Player of the Match for her scintillating effort.
Feats attained by Khaka
During the match, Khaka completed 100 wickets in ODI cricket. She is just the fifth South African bowler (women's) to reach this landmark in the format. Khaka now has 100 wickets from 74 ODIs at an incredible average of 23.35. The tally includes a solitary five-wicket haul (5/26). Khaka is set to surpass SA's Sune Luus, who owns 108 ODI wickets.
Other notable numbers
It is interesting to note that none of the batters from both teams had a strike rate of over 100. There were no 50+ scores in the match. South Africa's Kapp emerged as the top scorer, having registered 42 off 45 balls (3 fours). On the other hand, Bangladesh opener Sharmin Akhter scored 34. However, she consumed as many as 77 deliveries.
