The Proteas were grateful for another ruthless batting display from Australia, whose victory over India at Lord’s secured South Africa’s spot in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Marizanne Kapp and Dane van Niekerk, watching from a hospitality suite, wore big grins when the Australians, thanks to a century stand from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, cruised to a six-wicket win.Earlier South Africa made their four-wicket win against Bangladesh more difficult than it should have been, but at least — as coach Mandla Mashimbyi says — they “got the W”.Bangladesh’s total of 117/5 was 20 runs more than they should have scored. South Africa then produced a run-chase packed with panic before reaching a modest target with only four balls to spare. The glum looks on the South African players’ faces afterwards told a story of a team that knows they were fortunate.After Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, the bowling was lax, and then with the bat, they fiddled and fussed in a poorly managed innings.At the interval between innings, Ismail, who took 1/15 in four overs, spoke of South Africa not playing near their full potential yet at the T20 World Cup. “We have not played at our best; we’ve been at about 75%,” said the fast bowler. With the exception of Tazmin Brits against the Netherlands last Thursday, the Proteas haven’t played with the intent they’ve often talked about. Sunday at Lord’s was another illustration of that. Kapp had landed a big punch with the first ball after Bangladesh chose to bat, breaching Juairiya Ferdous’s defence to claim her 100th T20 International wicket. Ismail added her name in the wickets column, trapping Taj Nehar lbw, giving South Africa control during a power play in which they bowled 25 dot balls and limited Bangladesh to 23 runs. Bangladesh were then allowed to build their innings — albeit slowly — thanks to too many freebies down the leg side from Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon, with Sharmin Akhtar and Sobhana Mostary — who top-scored with 42 — sharing a partnership of 56 for the third wicket.Bangladesh will question why they waited so long to send in their best batter, skipper Nigar Sultana, as she led a vibrant late charge, helping her team to score 36 runs off the last three overs. Sultana finished unbeaten on 32 off 20 balls. Laura Wolvaardt, who has not been at her fluent best, was then also a victim of the first ball of the Proteas’ innings. Murafa Akter produced the delivery of the tournament, a late inswinger, that the South African captain missed, losing her off-stump in the process. Neither Brits nor Annerie Dercksen found scoring easy, and instead of boundaries, which they are used to hitting, had to rely on singles and twos during the power play. The pair managed only three fours and a six with the fielding restrictions in place, and rather than lift their net run rate, they got stuck. Kapp scored 16 singles off 20 balls, and South Africa added only four more boundaries after the power play, one of those an outside edge by Tryon in the final over, easing the tension that had begun to suffocate the Proteas.“It was scrappy,” said Kapp of her team’s batting performance. “But a win’s a win.”Business Day