Wolvaardt: "Amazing" middle order crucial in Bangladesh triumph
Media release
Laura Wolvaardt praised the way South Africa’s middle order held their nerve as her side secured a third consecutive victory at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.
The South African captain highlighted the efforts of Chloe Tryon (62) and Marizanne Kapp (56) as the turning point in the match after the Proteas found themselves 78 for five after 22.1 overs chasing 233 runs to beat Bangladesh.
The pair put on 85 for the sixth wicket to wrestle back control of proceedings in Visakhapatnam and that partnership teed up Nadine De Klerk to win the game by three wickets with a six over deep square leg with just three balls remaining.
South Africa sit third in the group stage table after the result and Wolvaardt paid tribute to her match-winners.
She said: “Kappy and Chloe were amazing. It definitely wasn’t the start we wanted. We had a slower start, just trying to be watchful, knowing their spinners are quite skilful.
“We were trying to build a partnership, but unfortunately, we lost wickets early. That partnership between Kappy and Chloe was crucial in getting us back into the game and Nadine finishing it off was fantastic.”
The Tigresses gave themselves a competitive total to defend after posting 232 for six from their 50 overs, which had seen 18-year-old Shorna Akter hit the fastest half-century at this year’s World Cup – which was also her maiden international fifty – from just 34 balls.
In reply, South Africa’s top order came unstuck against Bangladesh’s spinners who accounted for Tazmin Brits (0), Anneke Bosch (28), Annerie Dercksen (2) and Sinalo Jafta (4).
And while Wolvaardt, who was run out for 31, knows winning is the most important thing, she hopes those coming in early on will find form soon.
She continued: “[Our starts] haven’t been ideal, but we’re getting over the line. In past series and games, we might have ended up on the losing side, so it’s positive we’re winning.
“Our middle order is scoring a lot of runs, which is good. I’m sure there will be a game where our top order fires. We just need to keep believing and stay confident. Some bowlers have stepped up with the bat too.”
Tryon was awarded the Player of the Match award for her exploits, but the 31-year-old couldn’t overstate the impact of having Kapp at the other end during their timely partnership.
“It’s easier with her at the other end, but I’m happy we got the win today,” said Tryon. “We just kept it nice and simple. We just wanted to take it ball by ball and wait for the bad balls to come. We needed a good partnership, especially to take it to the last 10 overs. We backed ourselves to get through, and we did. I’m happy we got over the line.”
Bangladesh’s captain Nigar Sultana Joty could not fault the efforts of her team as they nearly succeeded in producing one of the biggest upsets in women’s cricket.
And while the result did not go their way, the skipper vowed her team would be back stronger.
She added: “I’ve told [my players] to be proud of what they’ve done in the middle. This is not the last game we’ll play. We have three more games left, and we should keep our heads high because we’ve given [South Africa] a tough time on the field. We should keep doing that.”
ENDS