Anneke Bosch hit an impressive unbeaten 74 as South Africa beat defending champions Australia with an eight-wicket win to reach the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Despite opener Beth Mooney scoring 44 runs, Australia’s performance on the Dubai pitch looked slow as South Africa looked to avenge their loss at home to the same opponents in the 2023 final. 134 points in 5 at-bats always seemed within reach.
Tazmin Blitz was beaten for 15 in the powerplay, but Bosch and Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt scored a quick-fire 42, including six big-time overs at deep midwicket, to quickly take the match away from Australia. . He has won six of the last eight tournaments. .
Bosch led the attack, smashing eight boundaries in a fine 48-ball innings and helping lead South Africa to a memorable victory with 16 balls left. Annabelle Sutherland picked up two wickets.
Australia, who have won the last three T20 World Cups, came into bat as opener Grace Harris (three), followed by Georgia Wareham (five), both fell within the first three overs. , Mooney and stand-in captain Talia McGrath (27) stabilized the innings with a 50-run partnership.
Mooney was run out in the 17th over when Marizanne Kapp’s throw hit the striker’s end. This is because he raised his bat backwards and jumped into the crease in Australia’s opening game.
Phoebe Litchfield had an unbeaten run of 16 and Ellyse Perry had an unbeaten run of 31 before being caught in the final delivery, leaving Australia with 5 wins and 134 losses. Ayabonga Kaka was the bowler of choice for South Africa with 2 hits in 24.
“It’s going to be quite difficult to accept,” Australia’s stand-in captain Talia McGrath said. “We didn’t have much power tonight and you can’t afford to do that in a tournament like this.”
Skip past newsletter promotionsSubscribe to our cricket newsletter to get our writer’s thoughts on the biggest stories and reviews of the week’s action
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
In the second semi-final in Sharjah on Friday, New Zealand will face West Indies, who defeated England in their final group game to send Heather Knight’s side home.
