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October 20, 2024
South Africa delivered an impressive performance in the first semi-final of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, knocking out Australia with an eight-wicket victory. After restricting Australia to 134 for 5, Anneke Bosch played a pivotal role, scoring a career-best 74 not out off 48 balls to lead her team to victory. The match took place at the Dubai International Stadium, where a lively atmosphere was created by the papare band, despite a small crowd.
South Africa’s success was built on a strong bowling effort followed by a solid batting display, highlighted by a crucial 96-run partnership between captain Laura Wolvaardt and Bosch. This win not only eliminated Australia from the tournament, ending their streak of seven consecutive finals, but also marked a challenging debut for the Australian team in the ICC competition after the retirement of Meg Lanning. Additionally, they missed star player Alyssa Healy due to a foot injury sustained in a previous match against Pakistan. South Africa’s convincing win, achieved with 16 balls to spare, propelled them into their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.
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South Africa’s strategic clarity was apparent right from the toss, as they chose to bat second in this crucial match against Australia. Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka made effective use of the new ball, generating significant swing. Khaka made an immediate impact; on her very first delivery, she bowled a length ball that veered slightly away, leading Grace Harris to slice it into the hands of a fielder at backward point, securing an early wicket for her team.
Kapp had extracted enough movement both ways in the opening over. In her second, she saw a free hit being dispatched through square leg by Georgia Wareham. But she used the outswing to undo the batter, the DRS coming to South Africa’s aid. Kapp bowled one on good length around the fifth stump and Wareham couldn’t resist the slash. The on-field umpire missed the edge but Kapp and wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta knew.
Kapp was getting so much assistance that Wolvaardt gave her a third straight over inside the powerplay. Australia managed only 35 for 2 in the first six overs, their lowest in the phase in this T20 World Cup, and ended up facing 19 dots.
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Fans affectionately call Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath “McMooney” due to their frequent batting heroics. They came together when Australia found themselves in a tough spot at 18 for 2 after just three overs. McGrath started the powerplay strong, hitting two fours off Nonkululeko Mlaba’s over, but it was clear that the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat easily. Captain Laura Wolvaardt took advantage of this by introducing spin from both ends, and McGrath’s next boundary didn’t come until the 11th over. She was dismissed a couple of overs later, hitting a catch straight to cover, which ended her partnership of 50 runs with Mooney.
At that point, Australia seemed poised for a strong recovery. Mooney was batting on 37 off 38 balls when she finally broke a lengthy boundary drought of 29 balls with a swipe through square leg in the 16th over, marking her as the ninth woman—and third Australian—to reach 3,000 T20I runs. However, in an attempt to take a risky run, she was run out for 44 off 42 balls, thanks to a brilliant fielding effort from Kapp.
Despite this setback, Australia managed to finish strongly, scoring 31 runs in the last three overs with contributions from Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield. However, given the circumstances, it wasn’t enough to secure a solid total.
Like Australia, South Africa faced 19 dot balls in their first six overs, but they managed to score 43 for 1, the highest total by any team against Australia in this T20 World Cup. While Australia scored 21 runs from nine attacking shots in the powerplay, South Africa outperformed them with 32 runs from ten. Tazmin Brits was particularly aggressive, using her footwork effectively against both Ashleigh Gardner and Megan Schutt, hitting a six off Gardner that cleared Annabel Sutherland at the boundary.
Sutherland struck back with her very first ball, bowling a length delivery that skidded through to knock over Brits’ off stump. It seemed like a crucial moment for Australia to tighten their grip on the match, but South African captain Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch had other plans. Wolvaardt hit Sutherland for a big six over midwicket, and Bosch followed up with back-to-back boundaries off Sophie Molineux in the sixth over. Wolvaardt also launched a massive six off her Adelaide Strikers teammate, Darcie Brown.
Throughout South Africa’s chase, their intent was clear. Bosch attempted a few reverse hits and displayed great agility against the spin. South Africa consistently found boundaries, hitting at least one four in every over from the third to the eighth. Although they had three consecutive overs without a boundary, Bosch broke the drought by hitting a four and a six off Georgia Wareham in quick succession. She then scored another four and a two off Gardner to reach her fifty.
Wolvaardt was dismissed after holing out to mid-off, leaving South Africa just 14 runs shy of victory. Bosch finished the job, remaining unbeaten on 74, her highest score in T20Is. Earlier this year, South Africa had defeated Australia for the first time in T20Is, which now seemed like a significant turning point as they moved closer to their first world title.
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