A superb bowling and fielding performance from the Proteas women inspired them to a 65-run win over New Zealand in the ICC Women’s World Cup T20 pool match at Boland Park in Paarl on Monday night.
After managing a defendable batting first of 132/6, the Proteas bowlers and bowlers then turned the tide as New Zealand were bowled out for just 67 in a dangerous chase.
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This is a very important match for both the teams after the Proteas were stunned by Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, while New Zealand were beaten by Australia.
So it was a big game for both sides to get their campaign back up and running, with the Proteas pulling out a good win in the end.
Proteas top bowler Nonkululeko Mlaba, who is ranked second in the women’s T20 international bowling rankings, starred as she took 3/10 from four overs.
Open bowling he has two openers Bernadine Bezuidenhout, stumped by the goalkeeper Sinalo Jafta, and Suzie Bates, bowled, back in the hutch to duck by the start of the third over and the score 7/2.
Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka then got in on the act, with Georgia Plimmer (7) and Amelia Kerr (10), both caught by Jafta leaving New Zealand in big trouble at 18/4 in the sixth over.
New Zealand star player Sophie Devine (16) had a huge task to drag her side back into the match, but she was unable to do so as regular wickets kept falling, and when she was trapped LBW by Chloe Tryon in the 14th over.Th over, this match all but ends with them at 49/7.
Tryon finished with excellent figures of 2/12 from three overs to produce his best batting performance, while Kapp also finished with 2/12.
Totally decent
At the start of the game the Proteas chose to bat first and made their way to a decent total thanks to an important 47-run sixth wicket partnership between Tryon and Nadine de Klerk.
Tryon scored 40 off 34 balls (6×4) and De Klerk made an unbeaten 28 off 26 (2×4) as they rescued the team from a precarious position at 78/5 in the 13th overTh by.
The innings started inauspiciously as Tazmin Brits was trapped LBW by Eden Carson and Marizanne Kapp (9) was caught on the top edge by Jess Kerr off the bowling of Lea Tahuhu, with them at 13/2 in the third over.
That brought the captain Sune Luus, 22 from 17 balls (4×4) to join the opener Laura Wolvaardt (13) and they tried to steady the ship with 33-run third wicket stand.
Luus looked to be in good form, as he struck several boundaries straight down the ground and into the goal box, before he raced out.
Wolvaardt tried to cut the ball from Hayley Jensen, but cut to his own leg, with the ball deflecting behind, and Luus called a quick single that was never taken when keeper Bernadine Bezuidenhout took the ball and flicked it to the stumps with Luus miles short.
Wolvaardt soon followed his captain back to the dressing room as he tried to slog across the line, only to end up missing the ball and being bowled by Tahuhu, with the Proteas in trouble at 55/4 in nine overs.
Tryon was joined by Delmi Tucker (5) and added 23 for the fifth wicket, before Tucker made a complete mess of trying to reverse the ball at the wicketkeeper, only to be dropped by Carson.
This brought De Klerk into the fold and together with Tryon they shared a very important position which resulted in a defensible score.
Tryon fell at the end of the penultimate pass, above the edging pull from Jensen to the keeper Bezuidenhout, but it was done enough.