Bangladesh, the unbeaten Group A champions, lost their opening ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup Super Six match to Group D runners-up and hosts South Africa by five wickets at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom Saturday.
Choosing to bat first, Bangladesh folded for 106-6 runs in the stipulated 20 overs.
Sumaiya Akter (24), Afia Prottasha (21), Shorna Akter (20), Dilara Akter (17), and Misty Shaha (12) reached double figures.
Kayla Reyneke of South Africa grabbed four crucial wickets conceding 19 runs in her four-over spell. Miane Smit and Jemma Bothe took one wicket each. Chasing 107, the hosts scored 108-5 in 18.5 overs. Madison Landsman top scored 37 runs off 38 balls with three fours and a six. She was named the player of the match. Wicket-keeper batter Karabo Meso and opener Simone Lourens scored 32 and 26 runs, respectively.
Rabeya Khan picked up three wickets for Bangladesh for 18 runs in her four-over spell. Marufa Akter took one wicket for 16 runs in four overs.
In the other Group-1 Super Six match, Australia beat India by seven wickets.
After the day's matches, four teams of Group 1 – Australia, India, South Africa and Bangladesh – secured four points from three matches. Australia topped the list with a superior run rate.
Despite their loss, Bangladesh still has a chance to make the semi-final if they can beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a big margin in their remaining Super Six match Wednesday at the Absa Puk Oval in Potchefstroom.
Earlier, Bangladesh topped Group A with an unbeaten record after securing six points from three straight matches after a seven-wicket victory over giant Australia, a 10-run win over Sri Lanka and a five-wicket victory over the US.
South Africa finished as runners-up in Group D to reach the Super Six, securing four points from three matches after beating Scotland by 44 runs, and the UAE by 45 runs. They lost to India by seven wickets.
