South Africa’s victory over Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday may have come as a surprise for those that follow the game closely, but for the Proteas team it was inevitable.
The manner of of South Africa’s win was about as emphatic as you get in a T20 International game with the victory by eight wickets with 16 balls to spare.
The Proteas were superior in every department of the game, and most notable were their tactics.
All signs pointed to South Africa being a good match for that old Aussie foe. But still that lingering thought said “This is Australia at a Cricket World Cup against South Africa. That doesn’t usually end well for SA fans.”
The moment South Africa made HISTORY against Australia in the #T20WorldCup! 🥲![CDATA[]]>🔥 #HereForHer pic.twitter.com/t0pv9cvhYD
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 17, 2024
Raising eyebrows from the outset
Even before the game actually began, skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and made the surprise decision to bowl first.
It went against conventional wisdom that says bat first, no matter what. Especially since the pressure would be on the batters in a chase.
However, for every question raised this Proteas team had an answer.
First they took a couple of wickets early as Australia were reduced to 18/2 after three overs. Even as Australia put together a 50-run third wicket partnership, the Proteas did not allow the scoring rate to get out of hand.
At 70-odd with three wickets down in the 13th over, Australia needed to go at 10 an over for the last six just to post a score in the 130s.
Even with the brilliant run-out affected by Marizanne Kapp of Beth Mooney for 44 with the score on 99 after 16.5 overs, Australia were still able to keep the runs flowing at the end of their innings.
Though they did that, their 134/5 did not seem like it would require a herculean effort to chase down.
The Proteas, though, were nothing short of herculean with their batting. Anchored, or perhaps buoyed is a more appropriate word in this case, by Anneke Bosch’s unbeaten knock of 74 from 48 - South Africa were in complete control throughout their innings.
Even with the loss of Tazmin Brits for 15 in the fifth over, did not slow down the Proteas. As Wolvaardt (42 from 37) combined with Bosch for a 96-run second wicket stand, the Proteas started out solidly before they hurtled toward a triumph of epic proportions.
Now to do it all again on Sunday, against either New Zealand or West Indies to cement this Proteas team as the best South African cricket side of all time - men or women.