Bangladesh 232 for 6 (Shorna 51*, Sharmin 50, Mlaba 2-42) vs South Africa

Shorna Akter unveiled a new era of power-hitting for Bangladesh's women, unrecognisable from the defensive fare that had preceded it, to give her side a fighting chance in a must-win contest against South Africa at Visakhapatnam.

Coming to the middle with ten overs of the innings remaining, and a rare platform of 150 for 3 to build on, Shorna cracked three fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 51 from 35 balls to post a target of 233 that could yet give Bangladesh's impressive spin attack something to work with under the floodlights.

The late fireworks included a pitch-perfect unbeaten cameo of 19 from eight balls from Ritu Moni, who cracked each of her first three balls from a previously parsimonious Marizanne Kapp for four, but the innings was built on a doughty team display, anchored by Sharmin Akhter's 50 from 77 balls, and with scores of 25 or more from each of the other members of the top four.

Under overcast skies at a sparsely populated Vizag, and despite a tournament run-rate of less than 4 an over to date, Bangladesh chose to stare their shortcomings in the face by choosing to bat first against an increasingly confident South Africa line-up.

Their captain, Nigar Sultana, reckoned that a score on the board of any description was the best means to give her bowlers "a chance", as she had said at the toss. Given that South Africa's spinner, Nonkululeko Mlaba, found some sharp turn at the back-end of her two-wicket display, that is exactly what they would appear to have delivered, given the impact that Bangladesh's own spinners have made in the tournament so far.

However, Laura Wolvaardt felt that the dew factor was likely to be a bigger consideration in the latter stages of the match, and impressive though Shorna's display was, in particular her three muscular sixes over long-on, South Africa's own big hitters will have plenty reason to back their strengths on this surface.

For all the apparent success of Bangladesh's tactics, however, for those first 40 overs, the timidity that had been on show in their previous two losses against England and New Zealand looked likelier to be the dominant feature of their display.

South Africa created few out-and-out chances in their bowling display. In fact, the second of their six wickets - Mlaba's lbw against Fargana Hoque - came as a surprise, seeing as her initial review had been for a perceived catch. But for the first 30 overs of the innings, they scarcely needed to make breakthroughs, such was the safety-first attitude of a batting line-up that conceded 126 dot-balls, or more than four per over, across that period of the innings.

The tone was set from the outset. Kapp found each-way swing in conceding 10 runs in her first five overs, while Masabata Klaas - preferred to Ayabonga Khaka for this contest - hammered her length to good effect at the other end. Fargana eventually took her for two fours in three balls in the sixth over, but Rubya Haider's pull through midwicket in Nadine de Klerk's first over was their only other boundary in a 28-run powerplay.

By degrees, however, Bangladesh turned South Africa's lack of penetration to their advantage. The opening stand had reached 53 after 16 overs before Rubya miscued a slog-sweep to toe-end Chloe Tryon to mid-on, and though Fargana couldn't convert her 30 from 76 balls into anything more substantial, Sharmin and Nigar's resilience through the middle overs carried Bangladesh to a threatening platform of 150 for 2 at the 40-over mark.

Mlaba then made what seemed to be the key breakthrough, as Nigar drove on the up and picked out an alert Wolvaardt. Shorna, however, strode out with a very different attitude to that which has preceded her. She was joined in her up-tempo approach by Sobhana Mostary, who was run out for 9 from 8 by a direct hit from Tumi Sekhukhune at fine leg, but Moni's flying finish kept the innings ticking with 37 runs coming from the final three overs.