The Proteas, who have reached back-to-back finals at the tournament in recent editions, now rely on Australia to beat India in the final Group A fixture at the Home of Cricket to progress to the last four. A win for Australia would send South Africa into a semi-final against hosts England.
A disciplined bowling effort laid the foundation for victory, with left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba leading the attack with figures of 2/22 as Bangladesh were restricted to 117/5 after electing to bat.
Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 42, while captain Nigar Sultana Joty added an unbeaten 32 to lift Bangladesh to a competitive total after a middle-order wobble.
In reply, South Africa endured early pressure when captain Laura Wolvaardt fell first ball, but Annerie Dercksen’s composed 45 anchored a chase that went down to the final over.
Bangladesh’s innings began in disaster when Marizanne Kapp struck with the first ball of the match, removing Juraiya Ferdous with a full delivery that beat her attempted swipe.
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Kapp set the tone with an excellent spell, finishing with 1/9 from her four overs as South Africa applied early control through the powerplay.
Taj Nehar fell lbw to Shabnim Ismail for one as Bangladesh slipped to 14/2, before Sobhana Mostary and Sharmin Akhter rebuilt with a 56-run stand.
Mostary was the more aggressive, striking cleanly through the off side and clearing the ropes off Nadine de Klerk, while Sharmin rotated strike effectively before falling for 22, bowled by Mlaba.
South Africa struck again soon after when Mostary was dismissed for 42, caught after attempting to cut de Klerk behind point, leaving Bangladesh at 70/3.
Mlaba then removed Shorna Akter to stall the innings further, but Bangladesh recovered late through skipper Nigar Sultana Joty, who finished unbeaten on 32 off 20 balls, including a late flurry of boundaries to push her side to 117/5.
South Africa’s chase began in dramatic fashion when Wolvaardt was bowled first ball by Marufa Akter, who produced a sharp delivery that nipped in and hit the stumps.
However, Bangladesh’s momentum was disrupted by a costly over filled with wides that allowed South Africa to settle early.
Dercksen quickly counterattacked, striking a towering six off Sanjida Akter Meghla, while Tazmin Brits added a boundary as the Proteas reached 40/1 at the end of the powerplay.
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Brits fell for 20 attempting to clear the boundary off Nahida Akter, before Dane van Niekerk was trapped lbw for four, leaving South Africa 59/3 at the halfway stage.
Dercksen continued to hold the innings together, reaching the 40s with a straight six off Sanjida before eventually falling for 45, edging behind off Nahida to leave the chase finely balanced at 87/4.
With 26 needed from the final four overs, Nadine de Klerk swung momentum back with a crucial boundary, before a mix-up saw Marizanne Kapp run out for 16.
De Klerk then struck another boundary, but was caught in the deep for 15, leaving South Africa needing a tense finish.
Chloe Tryon edged Marufa Akter for four off the first ball of the final over before sealing victory with a shot over the infield, securing a four-wicket win with four balls to spare.
Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images
