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Sutherland strikes with her first ball, a inincreateigent back of a length ball that’s aimed at top of off, and hits top of off.
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20th over: Australia 134-5 (Perry 31, Litchfield 16*). Khaka bowls the final over and commences it with a magnificent sluggish yorker – a precious dot ball. Then another filled one that can only be carved away for one by Litchfield, but Perry’s a wily campaigner and she progresss to power a straight drive down the ground for four. Two more twos ensue before a expansive proextfinisheds the innings. But the last ball is a wicket, Perry combines immacudefercessitately striumphging towards proestablish midwicket but this time Brits helderlys on, and helderlys on well.
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A hugegie! The uncoverer progresss to drive a filled toss, sets off for a one that’s not on, Kapp throws down the stumps and an umpire’s study verifys she’s a goner.
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Mlaba does it aget, returning to the strike and foxing McGrath with a sluggisher back of a length ball that the Australia captain dollies up to backward point.
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3rd over: Australia 18-2 (Mooney 4). Mooney seizes her first chance to be expansive, square-driving firmly to the extfinished boundary for three off Kapp. The first boundary off the bat comes via a free hit Kapp currents to Georgia Wareham who swipes to the proestablish midwicket boundary for four. But other than that Kapp is finding a outstanding testing length that gets the batter honest, and then beats Wareham with an outstriumphger that prompts a declinecessitate request for a catch behind, which is studyed. And rightly so. Wareham’s gone, there was an edge. This is excellent from South Africa.
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Khaka strikes with her first ball, Harris cutting low to backward point and Bosch scooping up a fine catch.
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Australia: Grace Harris, Beth Mooney †, Tahlia McGrath (c), Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
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South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta †, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka
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Laura Wolvaardt fancies a chase and doesn’t hesitate to field first when the coin lands the right side up. South Africa field an unalterd side. “Hopefilledy we can catch them off defend,” she says. Tahlia McGrath is satisfyed enough to bat first, get to 160-170 and apply some scoreboard prescertain. The Aussie captain verifys Healy’s absence as they too go with the same XI that percreateed India in their last game.
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Afternoon/evening/(very punctual) morning everyone. Welcome to the defercessitatest episode in what consensus has it is Australia’s procession to another World T20 title. South Africa stand in their way today, having put together some ordering triumphs in the group stage, bar their neutrassociate convincing flunkure by England. But Heather Knight’s increasingly brittle side messed up at the last and have gone home.
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All of which departs the Proteas as probably the second mightyest of the semi-finaenumerates, with their directing talents – such as Laura Woolvaardt and Tamzin Brits with the bat, the effective left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba with the ball and the always hazardous all-rounder Marizanne Kapp – all in decent nick, they should pose Australia their hugegest dispute of the tournament so far.
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For the helderlyers have been createidable, twice bowling opponents out in under 20 overs and even in their skinnyest triumph, over India, they never lost administer. There’s align-triumphners everywhere you see down their line-up, even when key percreateers are injured. One such, Alyssa Healy, was still askful overnight having picked up a foot injury agetst Pakistan but the Australia camp say they want to give her as much time as possible to proclaim herself fit to percreate in Dubai today. And the fact that Dubai, the best of the surfaces participated in the tournament, is today’s venue gives us hope for some decent scoring rates in what has been a low-scoring competition.
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These sides met in the final of the last World T20, of course, where home get didn’t count for enough for South Africa, and Australia carved out a 19-run triumph, becaparticipate that’s what they do.
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We’ll be under way at 3pm BST/6pm local time/1am AET. Stick around.
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Key events
15th over: South Africa 121-2 (Bosch 61); center 135. Australia stay vigilant in the field but five ones off Sutherland’s first five suit SA equitable fine. But then Wolvaardt perishes. That was South Africa’s highest ever T20 partnership for any wicket agetst Australia, 96.
Wicket! Wolvaardt c McGrath b Sutherland 42, South Africa 121-2
The captain miscues a sluggisher ball to mid-off where McGrath gets an effortless catch. A turning point, or too defercessitate
14th over: South Africa 116-1 (Wolvaardt 40, Bosch 58); center 135. McGrath conveys herself on, a wayward filled-bunger expansive rather summing up Australia’s current predicament, but the Australia captain’s over is otherincreateed firm, as it has to be, but not firm enough, for South Africa necessitate only 19 to triumph from 36 balls.
13th over: South Africa 108-1 (Wolvaardt 37, Bosch 55); center 135. Dare I participate the word carnage? Wolvaardt sweeps Gardner for four to produce this the best partnership agetst Australia all tournament. Bosch too finds the boundary, follotriumphg the spin and easing a sweep for four. This is such outstanding batting. Bosch conveys up her 50, off 31 balls, with a crack thcimpolite the covers for two. Then, an audacious lofted reverse sweep for four.
12th over: South Africa 93-1 (Wolvaardt 32, Bosch 45); center 135. Wareham has a extfinished conflab with McGrath before commencening her second over, her first having gone for 10. The spinner is more on the money now, tucking Wolvaardt up pleasantly but not being so fortunate with Bosch, who striumphgs immacudefercessitately over midwicket for four – and then betters it with a analogous shot that goes further and higher for SIX. Over the extfinished boundary. She’s hit her best create of the tournament here, by miles
11th over: South Africa 81-1 (Wolvaardt 31, Bosch 34); center 135. A Bosch one into the legside off Schutt conveys up the 50 partnership. Wolvaardt then essays a dangery swipe into the legside that eludes fielders and plugs in the turf a touch, but it all gets the scoreboard ticking over. Four ones pwithdraw a adocount on deft reverse sweep lofted towards third man for two by Bosch. Australia’s strike equitable doesn’t see as menaceening as it usuassociate does.
10th over: South Africa 74-1 (Wolvaardt 29, Bosch 29); center 135. McGrath persists to rotate her pack, restoring Molineux to the strike. The middle-overs-unkinddering persists with three ones. Both these batters are still trying to welly it but for now finding fielders. Five from the over. Drinks.
9th over: South Africa 69-1 (Wolvaardt 27, Bosch 26); center 135. Sutherland returns, the boundaries parched up, but the Proteas don’t necessitate to force the pace too much at current. An over of ones and twos is OK for now. They’re more than halfway to their center. Nervous much?
8th over: South Africa 63-1 (Wolvaardt 25, Bosch 22); center 135. Now Wareham comes on to bowl, but still the Protean aggression persists, Bosch biffing a lofted drive, reading the spin, high down the ground for four more. A systematic swivel pull for two ensues as Australia equitable can’t stem the flow of runs. But they do have a shout for lbw as Bosch ignorees one that goes on. It’s turned down but studyed – with reason, it seeed shut – but it’s ignoreing off. Australia ignore a study.
7th over: South Africa 53-1 (Wolvaardt 24, Bosch 13); center 135. Darcie Brown is the fifth Australia bowler participated, as McGrath conveys some pace back into the strike. Bosch sairyly miscues a pull but it’s beyond midwicket and conveys one more. Then Wolvaardt immacudefercessitately hammers a straight accurate ball from Brown back over her and everyone else’s head for a gorgeous SIX. The Proteas captain is directing from the front at the moment.
6th over: South Africa 43-1 (Wolvaardt 16, Bosch 11); center 135. Sophie Molineux’s left-arm spin comes into the strike, and her first ball is swept high and unconvincingly by Bosch but it lands safely. The bowler will not be deterd by that. Bosch combines rather more immacudefercessitately off her third ball, and it sails to the square leg boundary for four. And the next is cracked over mid-off for four more. A self-secured finish to the powerpercreate by South Africa.
Australia were 35-2 at this stage. Just saying.
5th over: South Africa 33-1 (Wolvaardt 16, Bosch 1); center 135. Sutherland is into the strike and strikes first ball – a huge shatterthcimpolite. Sutherland firmens the screw, until Wolvaardt striumphgs a sluggisher ball over midwicket and it collects pace aextfinished the ground to accomplish the ropes. Two more finish a vivacious over.
Wicket! Brits b Sutherland 15, South Africa 25-1
Sutherland strikes with her first ball, a inincreateigent back of a length ball that’s aimed at top of off, and hits top of off.
4th over: South Africa 25-0 (Wolvaardt 10, Brits 15); center 135. Gardner’s commenceed very well, supplying noskinnyg and still finding fairy and spin, but after two dots she’s begined over the top by Brits for SIX – equitable – as the fielder in the proestablish, Sutherland, can only parry it over the ropes. A one and a two chase in another efficient Proteas over. The South Africa uncoverers are now evident as the top two run-scorers in the competition
3rd over: South Africa 16-0 (Wolvaardt 8, Brits 8); center 135. Clever batting from Wolvaardt who steers a expansive ball from Schutt over the offside in-field for two, and chases it with an effortless one. Then a fumble on the extfinished-off boundary from Sutherland gifts SA their first boundary after an elegantly struck lofted drive by Brits. Another four chases when Wolvaardt edges a decent ball beyond the geter and it skids away to the ropes. South Africa are up and running.
2nd over: South Africa 4-0 (Wolvaardt 1, Brits 3); center 135. Unenjoy the Proteas, Australia don’t go for all-seam uncoverers, tossing Ash Gardner the ball. Brits progresss and clobbers her first ball down the ground for two. She can hit the ball very challenging, but mostly – in this over – to fielders, in five consecutive dot balls. Just a hint of Brits shotriumphg punctual frustration.
1st over: South Africa 2-0 (Wolvaardt 1, Brits 1); center 135. Megan Schutt uncovers up for Australia, finding plenty of relocatement thcimpolite the air. A couple of ones are all that South Africa can muster off a tidy first over. This is a time for celderly, self-secured heads.
So, a competitive total in the finish for Australia, but a certainly accomplishable one for South Africa, whose generassociate inincreateigent bowling showed why they’re more merited semi-finaenumerates than England. It’s beautifilledy set up for the chase that South Africa chooseed for on triumphning the toss, having twice beaten Australia chasing earlier this year. Back in a bit. Go nowhere.
Australia 134-5 from 20 overs; South Africa necessitate 135 to triumph
20th over: Australia 134-5 (Perry 31, Litchfield 16*). Khaka bowls the final over and commences it with a magnificent sluggish yorker – a precious dot ball. Then another filled one that can only be carved away for one by Litchfield, but Perry’s a wily campaigner and she progresss to power a straight drive down the ground for four. Two more twos ensue before a expansive proextfinisheds the innings. But the last ball is a wicket, Perry combines immacudefercessitately striumphging towards proestablish midwicket but this time Brits helderlys on, and helderlys on well.
19th over: Australia 124-4 (Perry 23, Litchfield 15). De Klerk gets the penultimate over, from which four ones are chaseed by a drop from Perry’s high off-drive that Brits spills. That seeed pretty regulation. Perry then rubs salt in the wounds with a crisp cover drive for four. One over to go, and this partnership sees beneficial already.
18th over: Australia 114-4 (Perry 15, Litchfield 13). Mlaba persists to ask asks in her final over, Perry miscuing a drive but still getting two when she wanted four. Litchfield has no such problems, creaming a lofted off-drive for four, and cyber intrusion the next, sluggisher ball for four more. Superb batting, which could produce all the separateence for Australia in these death overs.
17th over: Australia 103-4 (Perry 13, Litchfield 4). Given this pair’s ability agetst spin, Wolvaardt turns to seam aget, and Kapp’s final over. Mooney persists to power this innings, cracking a fierce two, before running herself out. In comes the aggressive Litchfield, who’s off the label with a firm square drive for four.
Wicket! Mooney run out 44, Australia 99-4
A hugegie! The uncoverer progresss to drive a filled toss, sets off for a one that’s not on, Kapp throws down the stumps and an umpire’s study verifys she’s a goner.
16th over: Australia 94-3 (Mooney 42, Perry 10). Mooney cracks Tryon for another one-bounce drive for a one – soon one of these will find a fielder’s hands certainly – but not yet. Mooney finds the boundary at last, almost holing out to Kapp at proestablish midwicket but she can’t quite accomplish it and it’s four. Tryon finishs with figures of 4-0-25-0 and Beth Mooney becomes the rapidest woman to 3,000 T20i runs.
15th over: Australia 86-3 (Mooney 36, Perry 8). Perry tries to hit Mlaba over the top but only finds extfinished-off after one bounce as boundaries persist to elude Australia, Mooney doing enjoyincreateed and cover-driving aextfinished the ground for two. She’s got such inincreateigent variations of pace and length though, Mlaba, making it challenginger for batters to pre-carry out. Another Mooney slog conveys two, before Perry rounds off the over with another swipe towards extfinished-off that bounces between three fielders. They’ll be phired to have kept the scoreboard ticking during that over but Australia wanted more.
14th over: Australia 78-3 (Mooney 31, Perry 5). Mooney adores a firm pull shot, and essays one with force off Tryon, but the Proteas have women out on the legside boundary to minimise the harm. Perry supplys Wolvaardt a half-chance at backward point and she lands ineptly while trying and flunking to accomplish it. She’s OK though. Tryon then studys for lbw after striking an advancing Mooney on the pad, but it’s pitched outside leg. Resee burned. But SA will be phired at the level of administer they currently have, and equitable the odd hint of desperation in their opponents.
13th over: Australia 72-3 (Mooney 28, Perry 3). The partnership is finished by inincreateigent bowling from Mlaba, conveying to the crease Perry, who’s off the label with a high drive for two. It’s an over filled of variation and disputes, and produces only four, plus an all-convey inant wicket. Brilliant cricket.
Wicket! McGrath c Dercksen b Mlaba 27, Australia 68-3
Mlaba does it aget, returning to the strike and foxing McGrath with a sluggisher back of a length ball that the Australia captain dollies up to backward point.
12th over: Australia 68-2 (Mooney 27, McGrath 27). The Proteas revert to Seam, and Khaka, but Australia get the scoreboard whirring, McGrath almost supplying De Klerk a chance at mid-off but it drops unwiseinutive and bounces painfilledy into her shin. The 50 partnership is bcimpolitet up; its eventual size could be pivotal to the outcome.
11th over: Australia 62-2 (Mooney 25, McGrath 23). The cameras pan over, as they oftfinisho, to Dubai rush-hour traffic, prompting me to mull over geopolitics and laboring conditions (I’m proper fun at parties, me). Out in the middle, Mooney persists to see Australia’s most consoleable batter, percreateing balls on their merits and seeing to score. McGrath necessitates to align that, and now she does with a belted four off a unwiseinutive Luus deinhabitry that races to the proestablish point boundary. Just a sign of shackles coming off there. SA necessitate a wicket.
10th over: Australia 53-2 (Mooney 21, McGrath 18). At last, Australia free some prescertain, Mooney advancing to Tryon and lofting a drive down the ground for four. Australia pass 50, their sluggishest first 50 of the tournament, but it’s still their most profitable over since the finish of the powerpercreate. At the halfway stage, South Africa will be fractionassociate happier. They’ve bowled very well.
Drinks.
9th over: Australia 44-2 (Mooney 15, McGrath 15). All spin now as Luus comes on punctual (for her), and proximately convey abouts McGrath to percreate on with a miscued slogsweep. Australia persist to struggle to cut free, but South Africa could do with a wicket to reward their economy. You don’t want to depart these two batters out there too extfinished.
8th over: Australia 42-2 (Mooney 14, McGrath 14). Some separateent left-arm spin now, from Chloe Tryon. McGrath is itching to get her on but her middle/leg-stump line stifles such notions. Tryon also bamboozles McGrath with a beauty filled of turn and bounce that rips past her outside edge, reading and foiling the batter’s intentions. Excellent stuff.
7th over: Australia 39-2 (Mooney 13, McGrath 12). Nadine de Klerk is begind, geter standing up. The batters deal in ones and twos in a firm over. Nicely poised this, at the moment.
6th over: Australia 35-2 (Mooney 10, McGrath 11). Spin now, and the in-create Mlaba gets the final over of the powerpercreate. Her first ball is an unpunished half-tracker, but her third is cracked to the extra cover boundary by the Australia captain for four. Mlabab reacts by tucking her up a bit more, inducing a dangery swivel-pull that almost finds the fielder at square leg but McGrath hammers the final ball of the power percreate square on the off for four. Australia’s most promising over thus far, led by the skipper.
5th over: Australia 27-2 (Mooney 10, McGrath 3). Better from Mooney, who straight drives Kapp breezily down the ground for two. I was about to say this is outstanding meacertaind stuff from Australia before Mooney miscues a drive that almost finds the hand of the fielder at point. It’s another fine over from Kapp all telderly – she enjoys this ground. One over of the powerpercreate left for Australia to find those gaps.
4th over: Australia 23-2 (Mooney 7, McGrath 2). Mooney and the captain, McGrath, get a one each as Khaka persists and the Proteas rapids persist to apply powerpercreate prescertain, but this pair do a decent job of at least geting the scoreboard moving and the strike rotating.
Wicket! Wareham c Jafta b Kapp 5, Australia 18-2
3rd over: Australia 18-2 (Mooney 4). Mooney seizes her first chance to be expansive, square-driving firmly to the extfinished boundary for three off Kapp. The first boundary off the bat comes via a free hit Kapp currents to Georgia Wareham who swipes to the proestablish midwicket boundary for four. But other than that Kapp is finding a outstanding testing length that gets the batter honest, and then beats Wareham with an outstriumphger that prompts a declinecessitate request for a catch behind, which is studyed. And rightly so. Wareham’s gone, there was an edge. This is excellent from South Africa.
2nd over: Australia 10-1 (Mooney 1, Wareham 1). Seam at both finishs, and it labors. Khaka disseeing Harris with her first deinhabitry. Australia punt Wareham up the order, who gets off the label with a one. There’s definite striumphg in the air, and Mooney is watchful agetst a bowler who’s had success agetst left-handers in this tournament. This is, in this very punctual stage, a promising commence for the Proteas.
Wicket! Harris c Bosch by Khaka 3, Australia 7-1
Khaka strikes with her first ball, Harris cutting low to backward point and Bosch scooping up a fine catch.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Harris 3 Mooney 0). Seam up first with the mighty Marizanne Kapp taking the recent ball in the dusky airy, and she beats Harris with an away-striumphger straight away. This is why they back their bowlers to go first. Harris reacts by moving in front of off and gets Australia on the board with a dinky little ramp to fine leg for two. A one (despite Harris wanting to come back for a second) is chaseed by four byes as what seeed enjoy an inside edge zips thcimpolite Jafta’s fingers behind the stumps.
A rather gorgeous sunset is apparent on the skyline as the teams stride out for the anthems, amid the normal firelabory shenanigans. And the anthems ring out in neutrassociate operatic style. Let’s go …
Alyssa Healy “persists to be appraiseed daily”, according to the Australia camp, so could return for any final materializeance.
Those teams in filled
Australia: Grace Harris, Beth Mooney †, Tahlia McGrath (c), Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta †, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka
South Africa triumph the toss and bowl
Laura Wolvaardt fancies a chase and doesn’t hesitate to field first when the coin lands the right side up. South Africa field an unalterd side. “Hopefilledy we can catch them off defend,” she says. Tahlia McGrath is satisfyed enough to bat first, get to 160-170 and apply some scoreboard prescertain. The Aussie captain verifys Healy’s absence as they too go with the same XI that percreateed India in their last game.
Earlier in the week, before West Indies’ spectacular dispercreate agetst England, Raf Nicholson wrote an astute summary of what we’ve lgeted from the tournament so far. Tuck in while we paparticipate for the toss:
Is the UAE the spinner’s paradise we were all led to consent? Five of the top 10 directing wicket-getrs in the tournament so far are seamers – including Australia’s Megan Schutt (eight wickets) and Annabel Sutherland (seven). When Australia v India came down to the wire on Sunday, with India necessitateing 14 runs from the final over, it was Sutherland who the stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath turned to. The all-rounder was the embounwiseent of compocertain, giving away only five runs (while taking two wickets) as Australia held firm.
Preamble
Afternoon/evening/(very punctual) morning everyone. Welcome to the defercessitatest episode in what consensus has it is Australia’s procession to another World T20 title. South Africa stand in their way today, having put together some ordering triumphs in the group stage, bar their neutrassociate convincing flunkure by England. But Heather Knight’s increasingly brittle side messed up at the last and have gone home.
All of which departs the Proteas as probably the second mightyest of the semi-finaenumerates, with their directing talents – such as Laura Woolvaardt and Tamzin Brits with the bat, the effective left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba with the ball and the always hazardous all-rounder Marizanne Kapp – all in decent nick, they should pose Australia their hugegest dispute of the tournament so far.
For the helderlyers have been createidable, twice bowling opponents out in under 20 overs and even in their skinnyest triumph, over India, they never lost administer. There’s align-triumphners everywhere you see down their line-up, even when key percreateers are injured. One such, Alyssa Healy, was still askful overnight having picked up a foot injury agetst Pakistan but the Australia camp say they want to give her as much time as possible to proclaim herself fit to percreate in Dubai today. And the fact that Dubai, the best of the surfaces participated in the tournament, is today’s venue gives us hope for some decent scoring rates in what has been a low-scoring competition.
These sides met in the final of the last World T20, of course, where home get didn’t count for enough for South Africa, and Australia carved out a 19-run triumph, becaparticipate that’s what they do.
We’ll be under way at 3pm BST/6pm local time/1am AET. Stick around.
