Australia didn’t have the usual swagger or confidence that comes with the six-time winners of this tournament when they came to bat.
In fact, they were underdogs, hitting only 11 boundaries in total. That’s despite the enviable depth of batsmen they have, and as a result they are often able to play much more freely than other teams who tend to field weak and inexperienced midfielders.
The early departures of Harris and Wareham didn’t feel fatal, with the likes of Perry, Lichfield, McGrath and Ash Gardner all in their wake, but each over went by without any acceleration. There was a feeling that such a kickstart would never emerge.
In the end, five wickets down felt like a huge waste, with the destructive Gardner and Annabelle Sutherland left waiting in the dugout.
And they were punished for such prudence, as South Africa’s innings was completely inconsistent.
Wolvaardt had timed his trademark exquisite cover drives beautifully from the beginning, but Bosch’s knock was overwhelming.
In the group stage match against England, the 31-year-old had a sluggish 18 off 26 balls, much less three, but against some of the world’s formidable forces, she showed the clarity and strength we showed. I hit the ball with. It is still seen in this tournament.
This was his highest individual score to date, and it was amazing to achieve it under such pressure and against such a high-level opponent. And the ease with which South Africa won was such that they didn’t even have to bat at Marizanne Cup.
Australia didn’t do too badly with the ball, as Bosch didn’t even give them a chance, but they will regret their lack of ambition with the bat as they allowed South Africa to come one step closer to their first world title.