‘One bad night doesn’t necessarily define us as a team,’ said injured captain Alyssa Healy
Valkerie Baynes17-Oct-20243:30
Takeaways: How stunning South Africa ended Australia’s reign
The mood in the stands as Australia set out to defend 134 was distinctly South Africa.The familiar undercurrent of fear that it could all still go wrong for South Africa was there, but so too was an overwhelming desire for someone other than Australia to have a crack at the title for once.Their roar as Tazmin Brits planted her front foot and clubbed a full Megan Schutt delivery back down the ground hit a crescendo when Annabel Sutherland ran round from long-on, got her spikes stuck in the turf and fumbled, the ball continuing its intended path to the boundary.Related
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“Four more!” was the call when, two balls later, Laura Wolvaardt edged past stand-in wicketkeeper Beth Mooney. And when Sutherland parried Brits over the rope for six off Ash Gardner in the next over, they were enraptured.It was a much more muted response when Sutherland hit back with the wicket of Brits, the second-highest run-scorer of this T20 World Cup beaten for pace by a nip-backer which crashed into the top of off-stump.Then in came Anneke Bosch, a player whose place at No. 3 looked precarious after three lacklustre innings in which she had failed to pass 25 and that will for someone, anyone but Australia, to go through was rekindled.Bosch took apart a vaunted Australian attack with her unbeaten 74 off just 48 balls, sharing a second-wicket stand of 96 off 65 with Wolvaardt.And although Sutherland had Wolvaardt caught for 42, failing to clear mid-off, South Africa already had one foot in a second consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup final, needing 14 runs off the last five overs with eight wickets in hand.
It’s more the prospect of potentially a new winner of this tournament is hugely exciting for the world gameAlyssa Healy
They got there without further loss and with 16 balls to spare, eliminating the team who had beaten them in their home final last year and ending Australia’s run of seven consecutive T20 World Cup finals. Australia had won the last three and six in all to go with their seven ODI World Cup titles.Alyssa Healy, Australia’s injured captain, had been sitting in the changerooms biting her nails. This wasn’t the Australia we were accustomed to seeing.An uncharacteristically cautious innings upon being put in to bat saw them lose just five wickets en route to a below-par total.Ayabonga Khaka struck with her first ball as Grace Harris, opening in Healy’s place, stabbed a length ball outside off straight to point. With plenty of swing on offer, Marizanne Kapp then lured Georgia Wareham into a waft outside off stump to be caught behind.Australia were 35 for 2 at the end of the powerplay and took 9.4 overs to reach fifty. Beth Mooney managed 44 off 42 before she was run out, Ellyse Perry tried to get the innings moving with her 31 from 23 and Phoebe Litchfield played a bright cameo worth 16 in nine balls. But it was all too little, even as South Africa leaked 40 runs off the last four overs.Now it’s someone else’s turn.On the eve of the match, Wolvaardt, South Africa’s captain, was asked about her side’s approach to playing an Australia side with such a formidable record and reputation, saying it was “easy to get swept away in Australia and what they’ve achieved”. But, as her side had shown in securing a first T20I victory against Australia in January, and early exits by the more heavily favoured England and India at this tournament had proved, “anything can happen.”Marizanne Kapp runs out Beth Mooney•Associated Press”It always feels like Australia is sort of that last hurdle that we need to get through to win a World Cup and now we’ve actually done that,” Wolvaardt said after the semi-final victory. “I don’t want to get too excited, we still have a big game to play.”It’ll be important not to get too far ahead of ourselves. It’s still a really good side in either New Zealand or West Indies, and both of them are looking in pretty hot form at the moment.”With New Zealand poised to face 2016 champions West Indies in the second semi-final in Sharjah on Friday, even Healy could see that South Africa’s win was about more than proving Australia are beatable.”It’s more the prospect of potentially a new winner of this tournament is hugely exciting for the world game,” Healy said. “The investment and the opportunities there are now to play cricket right around the world, different conditions and all times of the year, has done great things for the world game and we’re seeing teams really benefit from that, which is awesome.”If it turns out to be a New Zealand-South Africa final, it’s going to be really cool to see a fresh winner of that trophy and just show how far the women’s game has come.”Healy was equally thoughtful in her assessment of Australia’s performance at this tournament, where youngsters like Litchfield and Sutherland took the next steps in their development and Tahlia McGrath captained the side to victory in a thrilling group game against India.”One bad night doesn’t necessarily define us as a team,” Healy said. “There’s been so many positives throughout this tournament and the way that the girls are growing, learning and continuing to want to get better shows the maturity of the side at such a young age.”Looking down the track, we don’t know who’s going to be here for the next T20 World Cup. It could be completely brand new. So for them to have that experience and get a game under pressure like they were tonight, I think will do them a world of good and hopefully we learn from that and bounce back.”The ODI World Cup is our next big focus and I’m sure that the girls will be prepped and ready to go for it.”Be assured now, other nations will be too.
