Alana King was a women possessed as her 7/18 in 7 overs bamboozled South Africa. Alana King was on a mission and put on a leg spinning masterclass. Opting to bowl first, she bamboozled South Africa in the middle overs and picked up 7/18 in 7 overs. The others chipped in as only Laura Wolvaardt who scored 31 and Sinalo Jafta who scored 29 showed some fight out there. Nadine de Klerk also scored 14 as they were shut out for 97 in 24 overs.
In the short chase, Australia got to the target in 16.5 overs with Beth Mooney scoring 42 and Georgia Voll scoring an unbeaten 38 off 38 balls. Australia did lose 3 wickets as Kapp bowled really well but it was always an easy chase as now we know that Australia will face India in Navi Mumbai in one semi-final while England and South Africa will face in the other semi-final in Guwahati.
Alana King’s 7/18 skittles South Africa out for 97 in 24 overs.Â
Put into bat first, captain Laura Wolvaardt came out to bat with Tazmin Brits for South Africa while Megan Schutt had ball in hand for Australia. Schutt started with a maiden. Kim Garth had ball in hand from the other end. Wolvaardt broke the shackles as she pressed forward and crunched it through covers for a boundary. Wolvaardt took the attack to Schutt by hitting her for consecutive boundaries through deep square leg and through cover point. Wolvaardt managed to get a streaky boundary away to third man fence.
Wolvaardt crunched through point and backward point for a boundary. Garth continued and bowled a maiden. Schutt continued and kept things tight. Garth continued as Wolvaardt punched off the back foot through deep backward point for a boundary. She hit Garth by sitting down on one knee and sliced it uppishly towards deep backward point for a boundary. Schutt struck first blood for Australia as she removed Wolvaardt for 31 off 26 balls with 7 fours to her name.
Megan bowled a good length delivery swinging on the middle and leg stump line. A leg cutter from the bowler that holds onto the surface a tad. Wolvaardt closed the bat face a tad early and looked to work in the leg side but got hit high on the bat. The ball lobbed to short midwicket and Alana King took a good low catch. Sune Luus came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary by getting a thick outside edge through the keeper for a boundary.
Brits got herself another boundary by using her wrists as she flicked it to deep midwicket for a boundary. Schutt continued and bowled a maiden over. Garth struck next as she removed Brits for 6 off 19 balls with a boundary to her name. Garth bowled the back of the length delivery that pitched outside off-stump and nipped into the batter. The ball kept a little low as well. Brits bent her back knee and slog swept it and missed it onto the back thigh pad. Ball Tracking showed three reds. Brits reviewed and burnt a review for the Proteas. Annerie Derecksen came out to bat next as Garth completed a wicket maiden over. South Africa were 42/2 in 10 overs at the end of the first powerplay.
Annabel Sutherland came into the attack after the powerplay. She started with a miserly over. Alana King came into the attack next. King struck straightaway as she removed Luus for 6 off 15 balls with one boundary to her name. King flighted it up fuller and leg break at the off-stump line and went on with some extra bounce. Luus got down on one knee and slog swept against the turn and ended up getting a thick top edge. The ball ballooned towards mid-on as Sutherland took the catch by back pedalling it. Marizanne Kapp came into the middle and was dismissed for a fourth ball duck.
King bowled a flighted delivery fuller in length outside the off-stump. The batter bent her back knee and threw her bat at it. She aimed to thump it over the infield but ended up slicing it straight to backward point. Sinalo Jafta came out to bat next. Sutherland continued as Derecksen smashed it with a flat bat down the ground for a boundary. King continued as Derecksen survived a big run out scare.
Sutherland continued as Jafta opened her account by opening the bat face and guided the ball to vacant deep backward point region for a boundary. Jafta was on the attack as she hit Sutherland for back-to-back boundaries to deep third man and to deep fine leg fence. King struck again as Derecksen fell for 5 off 19 balls with a boundary to her name.
King bowled full and tossed up at the leg stump which was a leg break. Derecksen looked to whip that across the line but played all around it and got beaten on the inside edge as the ball cannoned into the leg stump. Chloe Tryon came out to bat next. Drinks was taken after this following which Tryon fell for a golden duck to King again. She bowled full and tossed up down the leg side leg break. Tryon looked to flick but failed to keep it down and ended up chipping a straightforward catch to Gardner at short midwicket who made no mistake and took a simple catch. Nadine de Klerk came out to bat next and hit the hat-trick ball as she guided it to vacant backward point region for a boundary.
Ashleigh Gardner came into the attack next. Jafta welcomed her with back-to-back boundaries through third man and through short midwicket for a boundary. Jafta then took the attack to King by hitting her for consecutive boundaries by hitting down the ground and then reverse sweeping it as well past slip fielder. King had the last laugh removing Jafta for 29 off 17 balls with 7 fours to her name.
King bowled full and tossed up around the off-stump. Jafta got down on one knee for the slog sweep across the line but missed as the ball cannoned into the off-stump as King got a fifer now. Masabata Klaas came out to bat for South Africa. She got off the mark soon. Gardner continued and bowled a decent over. King was on a roll as she dismissed Klaas for 4 off 11 balls. King bowled a length delivery on off-stump that turned away a fraction. Klaas hung back and looked to work it on the leg side but closed the bat face too early. She got beaten on the inside edge and the ball crashed onto the off-pole. Ayabonga Khaka came onto bat next as South Africa were 88/8 in 20 overs.
Gardner continued and bowled a miserly over. King also kept things under check as usual. Nadine then hit Gardner for a boundary as she got down on one knee and swept it fine to beat short fine leg for a boundary. Gardner got into the wickets taking spree as she removed Khaka for a duck. She bowled a fuller length outside off-stump that turned in sharply at pace. Khaka got forward and looked to defend on the front foot but got beaten on the outside edge as ball hit right between off and middle stump. Nonkululeko Mlaba came out to bat next.
King continued and finished things off in style as she removed de Klerk for 14 off 23 balls with 2 fours to her name. King bowled a length ball on middle and leg stump line a leg break. The ball turned away and beat the outside edge of de Klerk’s bat who hung back and looked to defend. The ball missed the outer half of her blade and hit the top of off-stump. South Africa were skittled out for 97 in 24 overs as Mlaba remained unbeaten on 1 off 4 balls. Just one extra given by Australia.
Alana King was the star of the show as she finished with magical figures of 7/18 in 7 overs. Megan Schutt finished with 1/21 in 5 overs. Kim Garth finished with 1/21 in 5 overs. Ashleigh Gardner finished with 1/19 in 4 overs. Annabel Sutherland finished with 0/18 in 3 overs as only 5 bowlers were used by Australia. It meant Australia needed a mere 98 runs to win the contest to finish top of the table.
Beth Mooney & Georgia Voll helps Australia complete the formalities inside 17 overs.Â
Chasing a mere 98 for the win, Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll came out to open for Australia while Marizanne Kapp had ball in hand for South Africa. Kapp started with a maiden. Ayabonga Khaka took the ball in hand from the other end. Litchfield broke the shackles as she got to the pitch of the ball and kept her eyes down on the ball and lofted it over mid-off as the ball raced away to the fence. Kapp drew first blood for South Africa as she removed Litchfield for 5 off 12 balls with a boundary to her name.
Kapp from over the wicket bowled full and wide of off-stump that swung away from the left-hander. Litchfield chased it away from her body and went for the drive as the ball took the outside edge of her bat and went straight into the safe pair of hands of Chloe Tryon at first slip. Ellyse Perry came out to bat next. Kapp bowled a wicket maiden over.
Khaka continued as Voll broke the shackles as played the ball late and whipped it uppishly over midwicket for a boundary. Voll got a reprieve as Nadine de Klerk flew to her right at backward point and dropped the catch as Khaka was the unlucky bowler. Kapp bowled another maiden over.
Masabata Klaas came into the attack next. She struck straightaway removing Perry for a duck. Klaas from over the wicket bowled full and outside the off-stump. Perry threw her hands at that and sliced it uppishly to the left of backward point. Nadine anticipated it well this time dived full length and took an outstanding catch at the edge of the circle. Beth Mooney came out to bat next and got off the mark. Voll survived a LBW appeal as the umpire said NOT OUT and the review was taken by South Africa which was upheld as they lost the review.
Kapp continued as Voll punched it off the back foot to beat the dive of cover point to her fight for a boundary. Voll then stood and delivered by getting underneath it and lofted it over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Klaas continued as Mooney got an outside edge past the slips and away for a boundary to third man. Mooney again got the outside edge that beat first slip and away to the deep third man fence. Mooney again hit Khaka for a boundary past the point fielder for a boundary. Voll also joined in by punching it between mid-off and covers for a boundary.
Klaas continued as Mooney put it away on top of the bounce to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Australia were 49/2 in 10 overs at the completion of the first powerplay. Nonkululeko Mlaba came onto the attack next after the powerplay. The 50 came up for Australia in 10.2 overs. Voll hit Mlaba by reverse sweeping it past short third man for a boundary. Nadine de Klerk came onto bowl as well. Voll hit her for a boundary by hanging back and cut it behind square on the off-side for a boundary. Mooney and Voll put on 50 runs partnership for the 3rd wicket.
Mlaba continued as Mooney went for the reverse sweep and got it fine through the legs of the keeper for a boundary. Voll was on a roll as well as she went deep in her crease and pulled it away to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Nadine de Klerk bowled a miserly over. Mlaba continued as Mooney smashed her down the ground by charging down and went over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Australia were 83/2 in 15 overs when we paused for a quick Drinks Break.
Nadine de Klerk got a wicket to her name as she removed Mooney for 42 off 41 balls with 6 fours to her name. Nadine bowled fuller and around off-stump line. Mooney drove uppishly towards short cover where Wolvaardt took a good low catch. The TV umpire was called in and after various angles the TV umpire decided to give it OUT. It was a clean catch. Annabel Sutherland came out to bat next.
Annerie Derecksen came into the attack next. Sutherland was in a hurry as she hit Derecksen for a boundary by punching off the back foot to wide long-off for a boundary. Sutherland then slapped the bowler down the ground to long-on for a boundary. Sutherland hit the winning runs by getting a brace as the victory target was achieved in 16.5 overs. Voll was unbeaten on 38 off 38 balls with 7 fours to her name while Sutherland remained unbeaten on 10 off 4 balls with 2 fours to her name. 3 extras given by the South African team.
The bowlers of South Africa tried their best with a below par score on the board. Marizanne Kapp finished with 1/11 in 4 overs. Masabata Klaas finished with 1/14 in 3 overs. Nadine de Klerk finished with 1/13 in 3 overs. Ayabonga Khaka went for 24 runs in 3 overs. Nonkululeko Mlaba went with 0/25 in 3 overs. Annerie Dercksen finished with 0/11 in 5 balls. So, Australia won by 7 wickets and topped the points table with 13 points. For her outstanding bowling, Alana King was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
We have a double-header coming your way to wrap up the league stage of the Women’s World Cup 2025. Tomorrow, on Super Sunday we have England vs New Zealand from Visakhapatnam at 11 AM IST alongside India vs Bangladesh from Navi Mumbai at 3 PM IST. Hope, the rain stays away and we get both games in successfully. Let’s see how these two games pan out tomorrow.
Also Read: ICC Women’s ODI WC 2025: Alana King’s 7-Wicket Haul Destroys South Africa.