Set 223 to win, the Protea top order did not disappoint with skipper Laura Wolvaardt and fellow-opener Tazmin Brits putting on 106 for the first wicket in a little over 25 overs. 

Anneke Bosch and Sune Luus put on 117 for the third wicket to see South Africa home.  Bosch, who ended with 65 not out from 63 balls, was also Player of the Match. She says building a partnership with Luus was a priority.

“It was similar to the first game where we lost two quick wickets in a row. Today we were in a better position in terms of runs on the board, but I think the most important thing was to build a partnership with Suné and stick around as long as possible,” she said.

It was also a night of records.  Opening Bangladeshi batter Fargana Pinky scored 102 of 167 balls, becoming the first Bangladeshi player to score two ODI hundreds and the first Bangladeshi player to score a century against the Proteas.

For the home side, Marizanne Kapp also had a few highlights. Picking up 2 for 21 in nine overs, she was the Proteas’ best bowler. That included her 150th and 151st ODI wickets which makes her the third women’s cricketer in history to pick up 150 wickets and score over 2 500 runs in ODI’s, joining West Indies Stafanie Taylor and Australia’s Elize Perry.

Bosch says the team is now looking ahead to Benoni for the third and final ODI decider on Saturday.  

“I still think we can do better in all three departments – batting, bowling and fielding. We definitely played better today, but we can still be better. Going to Benoni, I think we can still improve on all three disciplines,” she said.

OFM Sport