South Africa’s women achieved a historic victory by beating Australia for the first time ever in the second T20I in Canberra. On Sunday, the hosts were restricted to a below-average score of 142 for 6, which South Africa chased down with six balls remaining to win by six wickets. With an undefeated half-century, captain Laura Wolvaardt was instrumental in the team’s victory.. Despite losing three wickets for 22 runs, South Africa’s openers, Wolvaardt (58 not out) and Tazmin Brits (41), laid a solid foundation by adding 75 for the first wicket.In their 24th meeting, South Africa’s triumph over Australia in women’s cricket, including ODIs and T20Is, was a first-ever. In addition, the outcome leveled the multi-format series following Australia’s victory in the first match on Saturday. In light of her team’s preparation for the T20 World Cup in October, Wolvaardt emphasized the importance of the victory as a springboard
“It’s very special, obviously having never beaten them before in any format or game is something we were looking to change and to do it in their own backyard is incredibly special,” she said.
“Especially just with a lot of senior players retiring in the past few years…to have this new dynamic young team just obviously beating the World Champions is something very special and something that hopefully can change our mindset. Hopefully the voodoo is a bit broken now and we can win them on a more regular basis.”
Wolvaardt faced a tough situation as her team went from 109 for 1 to 110 for 3 in just three balls. Despite the mini-collapse, she steadied things, reached her half-century, and guided the team to victory.
Brits, who scored an undefeated 59 on Saturday, produced another outstanding innings with eight fours hit.
Australia, batting after winning the toss, had high expectations following their successful chase of 147 for 6 in the previous contest. However, they struggled to find gaps and make big hits. Captain Alyssa Healy (29 off 24 balls) and Grace Harris (31 not out off 18) were the only players who seemed comfortable at the crease.
Pace bowler Masabata Klaas was particularly effective, taking 2 for 16 from three overs, while spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon controlled things in the middle overs. South Africa’s tight bowling held Australia without a boundary for 29 balls between the 13th and 18th overs.
Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry had difficulty scoring quickly, making 23 off 28 deliveries and 18 off 19 balls, respectively. Harris, with three fours and a six in her unbeaten 31, boosted Australia’s total to 142, taking 18 runs off Khaka’s final over.
Australia’s recent trend of losing four out of their last five matches while batting first has prompted captain Grace Harris to consider a closer look at their approach.
“Chasing, you’ve got the number on the board that you need, and so as a batting group, you can think about how you’re getting the extra boundary ball in the over,” she said.
“Maybe there might be a little tweak here or there, or just a learning on conditions earlier or how we’re going to play a bit more aggressive and get a few more runs on the board. But not too much needs to change I don’t think.”
