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Elegant Wolvaardt ton leads Proteas to easy win

cricket28 September 2023 15:32| © MWP
By:Patrick Compton
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Skipper Laura Wolvaardt struck her fourth ODI century to lead South Africa to a comfortable seven-wicket victory with 28 balls to spare over New Zealand in the second women’s ODI at The Oval in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.

The win gives South Africa a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series that culminates in Durban on Sunday (starting at 9.30am).

It also moves the Proteas into second place in the Women’s Championship just behind India.

Wolvaardt, currently South Africa’s interim captain, is one of the most elegant batters in world cricket and her drives off the back and front foot through the offside were a feature of her innings once again to go with some powerful pulls.

She barely missed a beat in her near-flawless innings barring one piece of luck when she got a leading edge to cover when she had reached 79 only for pace bowler Sophie Devine to be called for overstepping.

The opener then rubbed salt in Devine’s wound by clouting the free hit over midwicket for four.

It seemed that New Zealand had set the Proteas a testing target when they made 253 in their innings on a typically low and slow Oval pitch after Wolvaardt had won the toss and inserted the visitors.

FINE PARTNERSHIPS FOR SA

But although the home team lost a couple of early wickets – Tazmin Brits for 17 and Lara Goodall for three – Wolvaardt guided her team through to the win via fine partnerships of 98 for the third wicket with Sune Luus (53 in 57 balls) and an unbroken 116 in 117 balls with Marizanne Kapp (45 in 49 balls) so that the end seemed to arrive almost prematurely with the despondent White Ferns looking a thoroughly defeated side well before the finish.

Wolvaardt struck 15 fours in her 141-ball innings and she will have been delighted to get to three figures considering that she already has 30 half-centuries to her name.

The match as a whole varied in quality with the outfielding very patchy from both sides although in partial mitigation,

The Oval’s outfield was brick hard and bumpy. But there was no excuse for the number of catches dropped.

As for the bowling, the sticky Oval pitch required wicket-to-wicket bowling on a fullish length but neither side consistently offered it, making batting much easier than it should have been.

Earlier, the White Ferns’ opener, Amelia Kerr, starred for the visitors with a handsome 88 in 110 balls while the Proteas’ left-arm spinner, Nonkululeka Mlaba, recovered from an undisciplined first spell to grab 3-41 in her 10 overs.

Both teams suffered lapses of discipline at various times. New Zealand began conservatively, perhaps conscious of their poor start (55 for five) in the first ODI in Potchefstroom.

LOST THE PLOT

Suzie Bates and Kerr had reached 49 without undue problems in the 15th over before Bates, frustrated by her inability to time the ball, hit too early and across the line at Masabata Klaas and was bowled for 14.

Kerr, who dominated the opening partnership, continued to flourish although she lost her skipper, Devine, who began aggressively but then played on to Klaas for 12.

Kerr then found a fine partner in Maddy Green and the two fed off some poor bowling from the Proteas whose lines and lengths were variable.

The pair added 92 in 82 balls for the third wicket and at 158 for two in the 31st over the tourists were flying.

It was at this stage that New Zealand lost the plot, and perhaps the match. The mould was broken when Green was beaten through the air by Mlaba – just beginning her second spell – and chipped a simple return catch to the bowler for 43 (50 balls, 5x4s).

Mlaba was a different bowler now, bowling straight on a good length and turning the occasional ball sharply.

She inspired an excellent comeback for the home team who claimed five wickets for 26 runs to get right back in the match.

Kerr was the most important of the wickets to fall in the mid-innings slump, another victim of Mlaba when she was bowled through the gate by a superb arm ball. Her innings included 14 boundaries.

Despite the late clatter of wickets, the White Ferns had one more surge with Hannah Rowe (40 in 57 balls) adding 54 in 49 balls for the ninth wicket with Lea Tahuhu as the South African bowlers again lapsed in their disciplines, enabling New Zealand to finish with what seemed like a challenging total.

South Africa’s outfielding and catching were iffy with four catches going down, two by wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta. Other than Mlaba, the main wicket-takers were Nadine de Klerk (2/42) and Klaas 2/46.

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Lara Goodal, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

NEW ZEALAND: Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Maddy Green, Georgia Plimmer, Brooke Halliday, Hannah Rowe, Isabella Gaze (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr, Eden Carson

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