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In a thrilling encounter at Sydney, the Australian Women’s cricket team showcased their dominance over South Africa Women, securing a series-clinching win in the third and final ODI. Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath emerged as the stars of the show, delivering impressive performances that left the visitors struggling to keep up and saw Australia emerge victorious by a massive margin of 110 runs.
Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath’s dominant batting
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Australia laid down the gauntlet with an imposing total of 277/9 in their allotted 50 overs. Alyssa Healy set the tone with a solid knock of 60, providing a strong foundation for Mooney, who remained unbeaten at 82*. The partnership between these two players proved crucial in steering the hosts towards a commanding score. McGrath (44) and Annabel Sutherland (18) also contributed significantly, pushing the Aussie total to formidable heights.
Late fireworks from Alana King further bolstered the innings, as she scored a handy 17 runs off just 12 deliveries. Proteas’ Masabata Klaas emerged as the standout bowler, claiming an impressive four-wicket haul.
South Africa’s struggle and rain woes
Facing a revised target of 238 runs in 31 overs due to rain intervention, South African batters found it challenging to keep pace with the required run rate. Only Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus managed to cross the 30-run mark, but their inability to convert starts into substantial scores left the Proteas in a precarious position. The visitors were eventually bowled out for 127 runs in 24.3 overs, with King and McGrath wreaking havoc, bagging four and three wickets respectively. The rain-induced challenges compounded South Africa’s woes, resulting in a comprehensive victory for the Australian side.
Also WATCH: ‘No ball, hit wicket and a six’ at same time: An unusual incident unfolds during AUS-W vs SA-W 3rd ODI in Sydney
Australia’s double triumph
With this convincing win in the ODI series, Australia has now clinched both the T20I and ODI legs against South Africa Women. The focus now shifts to the upcoming one-off Test, scheduled to commence on February 15. As the Australian team aims for a clean sweep across all formats, fans can expect an intense battle on the cricket field.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
AUSTRALIA TAKE THE SERIES
Ayanda Hlubi is the last wicket to fall for the Proteas Women as Austraila win the 3rd #WODI and seal the series 2-1 in Sydney 🇿🇦🇦🇺#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #AUSWvSAW pic.twitter.com/t2ojTKpmEt
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) February 10, 2024
Beth Mooney is an asset that keeps giving to Australian cricket
— Venkat Raghav (@raghavitis) February 10, 2024
Alana King's 4-26 were the best ODI figures by an Australian women's legspinner since Kristen Beams' 4-26 v SL in Colombo in 2016.
The only previous Southern Stars legspinner to take 4-fer in a home ODI was Olivia Magno, with 4-11 against PAK in Melbourne in 1997.#AUSvSA https://t.co/M3wKxuGuX9
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) February 10, 2024
Australia defeated South Africa by 110 runs in the 3rd ODI (DLS method) 🏏
Scorecard: https://t.co/yssLqcb33G#women #cricket #AUSvsSA #australiacricket #southafricacricket #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/gFr39WjXDS
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) February 10, 2024
Alana King is elite #AUSvSA
— Brandon (@BrandonMcKay6) February 10, 2024
After scoring no ODI 50s for 20 months, Alyssa Healy has now scored 2 in her last 4 innings#AUSvSA
— Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) February 10, 2024
Wicketkeeper captain to face first ball in women's ODI innings and score 50+
Babette de Leede🇳🇱 v IRE, 2022
Babette de Leede🇳🇱 v THAI, 2022
Alyssa Healy🇦🇺 v SA, today#AUSvsSA— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) February 10, 2024
Well played Beth Mooney! #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/lpE5hNYaKq
— Dialectical Guy (@dialecticalguy) February 10, 2024
Alana King, out of this world. 😅😳
— Lachy (@Lachy_Steele) February 10, 2024
Becoming a big fan of Alana King
— • BVSE • (@GodBlessBase) February 10, 2024
Also READ: CSA unveils South Africa women’s squad for the one-off Test against Australia; Chloe Tryon returns
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.