South Africa women kept their semi-finals hope alive with a massive 80-run victory over Scotland
It was a perfect day for the South African women's cricket team, showcasing a strong performance with both bat and ball. They crushed the Scotland women by a massive 80 runs in their Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Group B match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. (Match Highlights)
Winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Proteas openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits set the tone with a beautiful partnership just like they did in their opening game. They put up 60 runs in the powerplay, posting 60/0 in 5 overs, which remains the highest powerplay of the tournament. By the end of their innings, South Africa finished with a record total of 166/5 (20 overs), the highest team total of the season so far.
Three batters contributed with 40 plus runs, with Laura Wolvaardt scoring 40 off 27 balls, Tazmin Brits hitting 43 off 35 balls, and Marizanne Kapp also notching 43 off just 24 balls, earning her the Player of the Match award.
The match had little beautiful moments for all of the Proteas women that saw Nonkululeko Mlaba taking three wickets and Chloe Tryon and de Klerk both claiming two.
In chase of the daunting 167-run target, the Scots struggled, and collapsed to 86 all out in 17.5 overs. Only two of their batters reached double digits: Ailsa Lister with 12 off 13 balls and Katherine Fraser with 14 off 21. Captain Kathryn Bryce fell for just 7 off 7.
With this victory, South Africa have ignited high hopes for a semi-final spot, moving to the top of Group B standings, while Scotland find themselves at the bottom and virtually eliminated becoming the first team of the season to face three defeats.
Next up in their Women's T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures, South Africa will face Bangladesh on October 12 at the same venue at 7:30 PM, while Scotland will take on England at Sharjah Cricket Stadium at 3:30 PM IST and aim for a win against the heavyweights to eng their campaign on a high.