Dubai. Six-time champion Australian team could score only 134 runs for five wickets after a slow start against the tough bowling of South Africa in the first semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup here on Thursday. Wicketkeeper batsman Beth Mooney was the top scorer for Australia by scoring 44 runs. Captain Tahlia McGrath contributed 27 runs.
In the end, the Australian team was successful in reaching this score due to Alice Perry’s 31 runs in 23 balls and Phoebe Litchfield’s unbeaten 16 runs in nine balls. In the end, South Africa gave away 40 runs in the last four overs. South Africa bowled hard with Ayabonga Khaka taking two wickets for 24 runs in four overs while Marizanne Kapp and Nonkululeko Mlaba got one wicket each.
Australia got the first blow in the second over with the dismissal of Grace Harris who was caught out on the ball of Khaka. Georgia Wareham (05) could only hit one four in her innings and was caught by the wicketkeeper on Kap’s ball. Wicketkeeper Beth Mooney along with captain McGrath made a partnership of 50 runs in 55 balls for the third wicket.
But Mlaba’s ball ended McGrath’s 33-ball innings in which he hit three fours. Beth Mooney was run out by Kapp who hit two fours during her 42-ball innings. In this way the team lost the fourth wicket for 99 runs.
Perry and Lichfield together helped the team reach this score. Lichfield hit three fours in his nine-ball innings.