• South Africa eliminated six-time champions Australia to book their spot in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024 final.

  • Anneke Bosch was named Player of the Match for her stunning knock of 74 runs off 48 balls.

Twitter Reactions: South Africa knocks out six-time champion Australia to reach the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final
South Africa

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South Africa pulled off an upset, knocking out six-time champions Australia to advance to the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. In a high-stakes match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday (October 17), the Proteas triumphed by eight wickets, avenging their loss in the 2023 final. Australia, missing their captain Alyssa Healy due to a foot injury, struggled to assert dominance as South Africa ended Australia’s 15-match winning streak in the tournament, recording their first-ever victory over the Aussies in the Women’s T20 World Cup across eight meetings.

Australia’s innings: Resilient Beth Mooney and aggressive Ellyse Perry

After being put into bat, Australia managed to post a competitive total of 134/5. The Aussies were unsettled early by Ayobonga Khaka, who dismissed Grace Harris for just 3. Georgia Wareham followed shortly after, leaving Australia in a precarious position. However, resilient Beth Mooney (44 off 42 balls) and Tahlia McGrath (27 off 29 balls) stabilized the innings with a 50-run stand for the third wicket. Mooney held the innings together before being run out in the 17th over.

Ellyse Perry injected some late aggression, smashing 31 off 23 balls, giving the Aussies a much-needed boost. Phoebe Litchfield chipped in with a quickfire 16 off 9 balls, but Australia couldn’t accelerate as much as they would have liked. Khaka was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for 24 runs in her 4 overs, while Nonkululeko Mlaba and Marizanne Kapp also chipped in with key wickets.

Also READ: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Semifinals: Broadcast, Live Streaming details – When and where to watch in India, Australia, South Africa, UK, USA & other countries

South Africa’s chase: Steady Laura Wolvaardt and dominant Anneke Bosch

South Africa’s run chase started cautiously, with only four runs coming off the first two overs. Tazmin Brits struck a couple of boundaries to get things moving but was dismissed for 15 by Annabel Sutherland, who emerged as Australia’s best bowler with figures of 4-0-26-2. From there, steady Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 38 balls) and dominant Anneke Bosch (74 off 48 balls) took charge, building a commanding 96-run partnership for the second wicket.

Wolvaardt anchored the innings with well-timed strokes before becoming Sutherland’s second victim. Bosch, however, carried her bat through, playing a career-best knock to see South Africa home with 16 balls to spare. None of the Australian bowlers, aside from Sutherland, could contain the South African batters, with Megan Schutt and others failing to make an impact.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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AMAR PAL SINGH BHALLA
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