Australia defeated South Africa by six wickets to advance to the T20 World Cup semifinals. Tahlia McGrath’s tenacious 57 off just 33 deliveries on a difficult field at St George’s Park was the highlight of the victory. In just 16.3 overs, the defending champions successfully chased down the slightly below-par 125-run mark. Australia was in trouble when Beth Mooney was bowled by Marizanne Kapp, leaving them at 40 for 3 after seven overs. But McGrath delivered a barrage of blows that not only supported Australia’s innings but also placed them on the road to victory. Additionally, Ashleigh Gardner contributed by giving McGrath crucial assistance as the two of them shared an 81-person stand.
McGrath hit a pair of boundaries off Nadine de Klerk in the inning’s tenth over. She and Gardner worked together to hit three more boundaries in the fourteenth over. When Nonkululeko Mlaba was brought back into the offensive, McGrath showed off his quick feet to rip a few more fours through the defence. She also finished her fifty off just 29 deliveries in that over. Ultimately, McGrath did lose to Masabata Klaas, but by that point, Australia only required four runs to win. The finishing touches were promptly added by Grace Harris, who pulled Klaas’ short ball to the boundary markers.
Australia performed effectively with the ball in possession as well. By eliminating Laura Wolvaardt in the ninth over, Ellyse Perry gave Australia its first wicket. The next three South African wickets were lost for a combined total of 23 runs, causing a brief breakdown. Gardner, Megan Schutt, and Georgia Wareham controlled the scoring pace even in the final four over. The fact that South Africa was only able to gather one boundary and a six during that time serves as an illustration of the point. While Gardner, Perry, Schutt, and Darcie Brown each claimed one wicket, Wareham claimed two.
