\n<\/p>\n
South Africa made an ideal start to this contest as a combination of tight bowling and circumspect batting saw Bangladesh crawl to 10-1 off the first five overs without scoring a single boundary.<\/p>\n
Sobhana Mostary and skipper Joty then shared a 45-run stand for Bangladesh’s third wicket as they made 38 and 32 respectively.<\/p>\n
Yet there was the unerring sense Bangladesh left runs out in the middle with so many wickets in hand when they finished up on a rather unthreatening 106-3. <\/p>\n
Marizanne Kapp, Nonkululeko Mlaba and Annerie Dercksen all claimed a wicket apiece for the Proteas.<\/p>\n
When South Africa openers Wolvaardt and Brits approached the start of the chase with real zest, reaching 17-0 off two overs, it felt inevitable they would knock the runs off in no time.<\/p>\n
However, when Wolvaardt became Joty’s sixth stumping of the tournament – more than all of the other wicketkeepers in Group B combined – the rate quickly slowed against Bangladesh’s predominantly spin attack. <\/p>\n
Brits and Anneke Bosch, who made a run-a-ball 25, did not appear unduly hurried despite the opportunity to boost their NRR.<\/p>\n
Whether their cautious pragmatism to ensure the victory was secured without giving overdue consideration to NRR was the right one remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
Either way, if things pan out as expected and England beat Scotland on Sunday, a tense evening at the South Africa team hotel watching Heather Knight’s side face West Indies on television lies in prospect next week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n