Saturday, October 28, 2023

Australia Women Win 6th T20 Title vs South Africa

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Australia have won the Women’s T20 World Cup for the sixth time, defeating hosts South Africa by 19 runs in the final at Newlands, Cape Town. The defending champions were led by a stellar performance from opening batter Beth Mooney, who scored 74 off 53 balls and was declared player of the match. The left-hander’s innings was complemented by aggressive batting from her partners, allowing Australia to post a total of 156 for six in their 20 overs.

South Africa’s vociferous home crowd backed the team in their first appearance at a women’s world cup final, but the hosts struggled to keep up with the required run rate from the start. Laura Wolvaardt led the chase with a superb 61, but had little support and Australia’s clever use of pace and length strangled the scoring rate. Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits scored 17 runs before Brits was caught at mid-on off Darcie Brown off the last ball of the fifth over. Marizanne Kapp hit two boundaries but was out for 11, and South Africa captain Sune Luus was run out for two.

Australia’s athleticism and commitment in the field put South African batters under constant pressure, and the match was effectively over when Wolvaardt was leg before wicket to Megan Schutt in the 17th over. Mooney said playing in front of a partisan crowd was “special”, while South Africa’s leading scorer Wolvaardt admitted Australia were the dominant team but said it was an incredible tournament for her side. Luus said Australia have set a benchmark for other teams to live up to, but was proud of her own team’s efforts.

Australia’s victory marks their third consecutive T20 World Cup win, and highlights their experience with bat and ball on a slow wicket. The defending champions showed their quality in defending their total with athleticism and commitment, and were rewarded with their sixth Women’s T20 World Cup title.

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