Sports
Women’s World Cup: South Africa defeat Bangladesh by three wickets
South Africa registered their third consecutive victory by defeating Bangladesh in another successful run chase during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, on Monday.
A collective bowling effort, followed by half-centuries from Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon, led South Africa to a narrow victory.
Chasing a modest 233-run target, the Proteas were made to do hard yards as they eventually knocked the winning runs for the loss of seven wickets and three balls to spare.
Leading the way for them was the all-rounder duo of Tryon and Kapp, who smashed vital half-centuries before Nadine de Klerk gave the final touches with an unbeaten 37-run cameo, coming off just 29 deliveries and featuring five boundaries, including a six.
Tryon remained the top-scorer for the Proteas, scoring 62 off 69 deliveries, laced with six fours and a six, while Kapp made a 76-ball 51.
Earlier, top-order batters Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch made handy contributions with 31 and 28, respectively. The duo also shared a 55-run partnership for the second wicket, recovering South Africa from 3/1 in 1.1 overs.
Nahida Akter was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, taking two wickets for 44 runs in 9.3 overs, while Rabeya Khan and Fahima Khatun both struck once.
Put into bat first, Bangladesh could accumulate 232/6 in their allotted 50 overs despite half-centuries from Shorna Akter and Sharmin Akhter.
Shorna top-scored for Bangladesh with an unbeaten 51 off just 35 deliveries, laced with three sixes and as many fours, while Sharmin made a cautious 77-ball 50, featuring six fours.
Besides them, skipper Nigar Sultana (32) made a notable contribution.
Openers Fargana Hoque and Rubya Haider chipped in with 30 and 25, respectively, but conceded a combined 128 deliveries, which eventually barred Bangladesh from amassing a defendable total.
For South Africa, Nonkululeko Mlaba picked up two wickets, while de Klerk and Tryon chipped in with one apiece.
The three-wicket victory, which marked South Africa’s third on the trot, lifted them to the third position in the ICC Women’s World Cup standings with six points in four matches, while Bangladesh remained sixth with two points in as many games.
Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann and former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp both defended Florian Wirtz’s underwhelming start to Premier League life.
Wirtz joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in a then-club record £116 million ($154m) deal in the summer.
Since moving to Anfield, Wirtz has struggled to command games in the same way he did at Leverkusen, where he starred during an unbeaten Bundesliga-winning season under Xabi Alonso.
The German midfielder was dropped to the bench by Arne Slot for Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea before the international break.
Despite his difficult start to life at Anfield, Wirtz has remained a mainstay in Nagelsmann’s Germany squad and scored a stunning free-kick in the win over Northern Ireland in September, as well as full 90 minutes in the 4-0 win over Luxembourg.
Nagelsmann told Sport 1: “Even though he hasn’t scored any goals, he is still the player who creates the most chances in the Premier League.
“It’s not his fault if his team-mates don’t convert them, and the statistics don’t even tell the whole story.
“Wirtz needs to get used to the league. I saw him playing with total freedom. He knows what he’s capable of and how things work.
“He hasn’t always had it easy — he’ll have to work hard now too.”
– Nagelsmann: No intention to disrespect Northern Ireland
– Report: Germany get qualifying campaign back on track with 4-0 win
– World Cup qualifying Group A table
Klopp, who managed Liverpool between 2015 and 2024, also leapt to Wirtz’s defence.
Liverpool headed into the international break off the back of three consecutive defeats — to Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the Premier League and to Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Klopp believes it is those defeats that have amplified the scrutiny on Wirtz and that everything will work out in the end.
He told n-tv: “His quality is so outstanding, the discussions are a bit exaggerated.
“Liverpool just lost three games in a row, which is unusual.
“But that’s also normal in life and that’s why such things are discussed there.
“[Wirtz is] a once-in-a-century talent, and at some point he’ll show that in every game again — just as he did at Leverkusen.”
Liverpool resume Premier League action against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, in a game Wirtz will be desperate to prove Nagelsmann and Klopp right and light up the Premier League stage.
The Seattle Mariners got off to a strong start in Game 2 of the American Champions League Series on Monday, courtesy of Julio Rodriguez.
The centerfielder smashed an 84 mph splitter off Trey Yesavage for a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. Yesavage’s splitter had never allowed an extra base hit before the home run, according to ESPN Research.
It marked Rodriguez’s second home run of the postseason, as Seattle looks to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
JULIO RODRÍGUEZ 3-RUN HOMER! #ALCS pic.twitter.com/LdnHOBG3P2
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2025
The home run was Yesavage’s first career home run allowed in his fifth career start (regular season and playoffs). Entering Monday, he had only allowed two extra base hits in 19 and one-third innings pitched.
Seattle trailed 1-0 in the first inning in Game 1 before bouncing back to win 3-1 on Sunday. The series shifts to Seattle on Wednesday.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
Klopp defends Wirtz: ‘Once-in-a-century talent’
Mariners vs. Blue Jays (Oct 13, 2025) Live Score – ESPN
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