South Africa’s women have become the first cricket team from their country ever to make a World Cup final – and now they’ve got their eyes set on making more history by toppling T20 champions Australia.
Despite all the tears and emotion that greeted their landmark six-run semi-final triumph over England in Cape Town on Friday, the Proteas feel the trailblazing job won’t be complete unless they beat Meg Lanning’s powerhouse side in Sunday’s showdown.
“Getting to the final is massive,” said a beaming Proteas’ skipper Sune Luus, urging the ecstatic crowd to make even more noise on Sunday to get behind the first South African senior side, men or women, to ever make a World Cup cricket final.
“Every game we play, we keep making history and keep inspiring a nation – and I hope with one game to go we keep doing that.
“Hopefully, this is a turning point for women’s sport in South Africa.”
Australia, shooting for a third straight global T20 triumph and their sixth in seven editions, will be well aware South Africa were the underdogs going into their semi-final against a most impressive England side, just as they will be on Sunday.
When the teams met at Gqeberha in the group stages eight days ago, Australia hammered the Proteas by six wickets with 21 balls to spare.
But the Aussies will still have been impressed by the way the Proteas confounded the odds to close out Friday’s match, restricting England in the dying overs with the input of pace bowlers Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka proving decisive in their best performance of the tournament.
It was just as close a contest as Australia’s victory by five runs over India in the first semi-final at the same venue 24 hours earlier, and the South Africans demonstrated the same cool, big-match temperament as Lanning’s team in the game’s denouement.
Two terrific knocks from openers Laura Wolvaardt (53 off 44 balls) and Tazmin Brits (68 off 55) had earlier done most to propel the Proteas to a challenging total of 4-164 after they elected to bat first.
But the powerful England side had looked well on the way to reaching the target as they eased to 3-132 with still the best part of four overs to go.
But when Nadine de Klerk dismissed the key hitter Nat Sciver-Brunt for 40, the game took a dramatic shift.
In her final over, the 18th of the innings, Khaka (4-29) snaffled three wickets, getting rid of Amy Jones, Sophie Ecclestone and Katherine Sciver-Brunt, to completely transform the game.
And with 13 needed off the last six balls, Ismail (3-27) stepped up nervelessly, bowling England’s last hope, captain Heather Knight, for 31 to ensure the Proteas reached their milestone game.
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Top-scorer Brits also had a big afternoon in the field, taking four catches, including a blinding one-handed effort at full stretch to dismiss Alice Capsey and another easier one at long-on to end Nat Sciver-Brunt’s knock.
“I still cannot believe it. I am impressed and happy with it,” she said of the Capsey catch that helped her win the player of the match honours.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Here in SA we are genuinely moving away from race descriptions . Not out of any esoteric process but it just doesn’t matter anymore . So what I’m kinda getting at is whatever the need for sunscreen or not , whoever is at the Cricket is a South African . Incidentally the overwhelming majority of new entrants into the sport are black . Simply out of demographics . Yes its nice but more importantly …Its normal .
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Yes they don’t usually get into the cricket so much.
Clear as mud
Guest
Sune making sure not to waste the moment. Good on her! https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/sa-women-s-captain-sune-luus-wants-greater-investment-in-the-game-from-csa-after-defeat-in-the-t20-world-cup-final-1360846
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Hi Take, bad luck. Great game by the Proteas, they really gave it to us & made the Aussies work for the win. Gee, for the size of the crowd they sure can make some noise, fantastic atmosphere.
Clear as mud
Guest
She bowls 106 he bowls 97 from memory
Takeadeepbreath
Roar Rookie
Yeah JN, agree, "structures" probably not the right term....what I was referring to is the pipeline for talent getting to the top tier is broken in number of places and means that players, often with great potential leak out along the way. Well done to Sune and the team, you gave a good account of yourselves, but the huge gulf in professionalism was clear for everyone to see.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Yes . And the Springboks still have .
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
South Africa never did have those structures . If anything the structures that are in place better than any time in the past .. Its always been the schools that have provided the foundations. Even the men's team ..The likes of Rabada , Ngidi , Maharaj , Bavuma all coming though the elite school system . You would never had heard of them otherwise .Yet SA has the Worlds largest single cricket league in KFC mini cricket for juniors but most who participate fail to get coaching , support , facilities outside of it and fall by the wayside.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Non white population ? That's 95% of all its inhabitants ...
Takeadeepbreath
Roar Rookie
Hey Short Arm...thanks and yeah, gonna stay up and watch the game and suffer tomorrow, but suspect it will be a bridge too far for the Saffas, but nonetheless, hoping they compete and give the Aussies a good game. Agree, the keeper is not great....and quotas are still there in all team sports... unfortunately. Enjoy mate...may the best team win!
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Take, surely SA have a better keeper? Because the current one is hopeless. Does the team have a quota on selections like the Springboks use to have?
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
So glad the SA women held their nerve & beat the supposed "unstoppable" English. You definitely did us a favour. Best of luck tonight.
Johnb
Guest
Never a bad thing to start a tournament poorly if you can manage to progressively improve and be at your peak at the business end. Not totally dissimilar to Australia at the 1999 men's World Cup. I seem to recall Sth Africa being involved then too. You'd think Australia too strong, but it only takes one batter to have a good day to win a T20.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Call me a traitor, but I wouldn’t mind too much if SA won, simply based on the support they are getting from the locals, especially the non-white population. A win could make quite an impact there, whereas our women are finding it all too easy. Would be different if it was all strong competition but most of the teams have some abysmally poor players. The SA-England game was entertaining. Bit of a laugh to call Khaka a pace bowler. I think she’s about Adam Zampa pace.
Nobody likes a smarta*s
Roar Rookie
SA did well, but they were helped by a nervous England in the dying overs. Aussies should win easily, but in a final you never know….
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
The way they batted, bowled and fielded to beat formidable England side is remarkable, what India failed to do the day before. South Africa will start the Final with more confidence, they may not win but will give a good fight for sure.
Takeadeepbreath
Roar Rookie
A fantastic achievement!. Superb effort and immensely proud of how the girls handled themselves. What an incredible comeback from England 53 without loss or so after 5 overs. What makes the victory even more special....South Africa no longer (sad, but true...those days are gone) have the high performance centres, resources, funding or structured cricket development systems to compare with countries like Australia & England. Ultimately, reality is sporting success in SA is now more reliant on pure individual talent and a lot of guts. The final against the powerhouse Australian girls will be another huge test of character, and even if they lose....they have done SA proud and lifted spirits in a country that dearly needs it. Go Sune & the girls!!