South Africa 109 for 4 (Du Preez 52, Khatun 2-7) beat Bangladesh 106 for 4 (Rahman 42, Ahmed 40, Kapp 2-20) by 3 runs
Scorecard
Bangladesh women crumbled under pressure with two run-outs and gave two more wickets to Marizanne Kapp in the last three overs to concede the third T20 from a comfortable position as South Africa whitewashed the series 3-0.
Chasing 110, Bangladesh were cruising at 79 for no loss at the end of 14 overs after a solid start, from Rumana Ahmed and Ayasha Rahman, and needed another 31 at less than run-a-ball. But run-outs of Ahmed and No. 3 Lata Mondal triggered a top-order collapse and made them succumb under pressure. They needed 18 from 18 and Kapp conceded only two runs in the 18th over and got Salma Khatun stumped for 1 on the last ball of the over. Shabnim Ismail added to the pressure from the other end by giving four runs, leaving the visitors requiring 12 from the last over.
Kapp came back and was hit for four on the first ball by Fargana Hoque. After a single and a dot ball, she got rid of the other opener, Rahman, for 42 and out of the remaining seven required, Bangladesh only managed three from the last two balls.
Earlier, South Africa chose to bat but lost both openers for low scores - Trisha Chetty for a duck and Lizelle Lee for 11. Captain Mignon du Preez steered them to safety with her third T20 fifty. Kapp accompanied her with a 55-run stand before du Preez fell for 52. Alexis le Breton's two fours and Kapp's unbeaten 24 took them to 109. Khatun particularly troubled the South Africa batsmen at the beginning and end both as she took wickets in her first and last overs and conceded only seven runs in four overs.
South Africa coach, Hilton Moreeng, was very pleased with the team's performance. "If we knew that the result would be 3-0 at the start of the series we would have taken it," he said. "We are building as a team and it was important for us to start this home series well, especially by playing good cricket and learning from every game that we play."
Even though Bangladesh kept the pressure on South Africa while bowling, they couldn't handle it while batting in the end.
"I must give credit to Bangladesh," Moreeng said. "They put us under pressure very early; the first two overs were maidens and we were a wicket down. The partnership between Kapp and the captain put us back where we wanted to be and we had to settle for 109, which required us to go out there and bowl well."
The two sides will now play three ODIs starting September 20 in Benoni.
