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Proteas stun Australia to reach Women's T20 World Cup final

rugby17 October 2024 17:15| © MWP
By:Ross Roche
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Proteas women batter Anneke Bosch produced the performance of her career as she slammed an unbeaten 74 to power her side to a stunning eight-wicket win over Australia in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinal at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday night.

Australia were pre-tournament favourites -- the Proteas had never beaten them in the T20 World Cup, including losing last year’s final against them in Cape Town, and the odds were stacked against the South Africans.

But a solid bowling and fielding effort restricted Australia to 134-4 in their 20 overs, followed by a brilliant chase spearheaded by Bosch and backed up by captain Laura Wolvaardt to power them to a brilliant win with 16 balls to spare, to reach their second consecutive T20 World Cup final.

“My heart is still racing. It was quite tough out there but I am really glad that we could get over the line and that I could finally contribute with some runs,” said Bosch after the match.

“It means a lot to us (to reach a second straight final). I can’t really describe it. But we knew we were capable of it. We had a pretty good tournament so far coming into this game. So we were quite confident.

“Our batters, like Taz (Tazmin Brits) and Wolfie (Wolvaardt) up front, have been incredible for us. As well as our bowlers who have been really good. To restrict Australia to under 140 today was really well done by our bowlers.”

Earlier it was Bosch’s highest score in her T20 career (74* off 48 balls - 8x4; 1x6), along with Wolvaardt’s 42 off 37 (3x4; 1x6) that broke the back of the chase with a 96-run second-wicket partnership.

The Proteas' chase got off to a slow start as just four runs came off the first two overs, but two fours off the bat of Wolvaardt and a six from Brits (15) saw 21 runs come off the next two overs from Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner.

Brits then fell at the start of the fifth over, showing no foot movement as Annabel Sutherland got a ball to nip back off the seam and bowl the batter with the score 25-1.

BOSCH ASSAULT

However, that just brought Bosch in and the assault began as Wolvaardt crashed Sutherland over midwicket for four, followed by Bosch cracking back-to-back boundaries off Sophie Molineux in the sixth over, which saw the Proteas reach 43-1 at the end of the powerplay, which was the biggest against Australia in this World Cup.

A beautiful six from Wolvaardt over long-on off the bowling of Darcie Brown and a four from Bosch off Georgia Wareham allowed them to take 10 runs each off the next two overs as they continued their charge, before slowing down a touch as they reached 74-1 at the halfway mark.

Bosch decided to unleash the shackles in the 12th over as she slog swept a four and pumped a six over deep mid-wicket off Wareham as 12 runs came off it.

That was followed by a Wolvaardt boundary and two fours from Bosch off Gardner. The Aussies gave up 15 runs in the 13th over, which also saw Bosch reach her fifty and the Proteas pass the hundred run mark.

Australia finally got the breakthrough at the end of the 15th over, as Wolvaardt tried to hit Sutherland over mid-off but only offered an easy catch to captain Tahlia McGrath.

The score read 121-2, but it was too little too late for the Aussies as Bosch and Chloe Tryon (1*) easily saw the South Africans home.

SA BOWLERS KEEP THINGS TIGHT

At the start of the match the Proteas won the toss and put Australia in to bat, with them keeping things tight over most of the innings, before the Australians opened up over the final few overs to boost their total.

Opener Beth Mooney top scored for Australia with 44 off 42 balls (2x4), while Ayabonga Khaka was the pick of the Proteas' bowlers with 2-24 in her four overs.

It was a good start to the match for the Proteas as Khaka struck with the first ball of the second over, as Grace Harris (3) slashed the ball straight to Bosch at backward point who took a great catch just off the ground, with the score 7-1.

Marizanne Kapp got in on the action in the next over as Wareham (5) tried to cut a wide ball but got an edge through to keeper Sinalo Jafta.

At first the umpire didn't raise the finger, but the Proteas reviewed and the call was overturned, leaving the Aussies wobbling on 18-2 after two overs.

Mooney and McGrath (27) had to rebuild and took their side to 35-2 at the end of the powerplay, which was their lowest powerplay score of the World Cup so far, and then to 53-3 by the 10 over mark.

Needing to pick up the rate both batters started trying to accelerate, but McGrath popped an easy catch to Annerie Dercksen off the bowling of Nonkululeko Mlaba at the start of the 13th over as they slipped to 68-3.

Mooney seemed to be getting into her stride and was looking dangerous when she hit the ball straight back to bowler Kapp towards the end of the 17th over.

She set off for a quick single before turning back, but Kapp was quicker as she ran her out, leaving the Australians struggling on 99-4.

That brought in Phoebe Litchfield, 16 not out off nine balls (3x4), to join Ellyse Perry, 31 off 23 (2x4), and they boosted the total with 31 runs off the last three overs.

That included Perry being dropped on the boundary by Brits off Mlaba in the 19th over.

Brits though made amends with a top catch on the boundary off Khaka’s final ball of the innings to remove Perry.

AUSTRALIA: Beth Mooney (wk), Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (capt), Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

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