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Follow UsCricket encountered its Wrestlemania 30 moment, where Brock Lesnar shocked the entire world by ending The Undertaker’s streak, so it’s only fitting that we begin this piece with Michael Cole’s words.
“THE STREAK……IS OVER”
That’s right, the impossible happened. Australia Women finally LOST a game at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and it came in a semi-final of all games.
For the first time in 15 years, Australia Women won’t be a part of the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The 2009 World Cup Women's T20 was the last time this champion unit failed to make it to the final of the mega event. During this period, they went on to win six titles, failing to win only the WT20WC in 2016 in India, where they went down to West Indies Women at the Eden Gardens.
Today’s loss marked Australia Women’s first defeat in the mega event in four years. A 15-game winning streak came to a halt.
Australia failed to defend a target on October 17 (Thursday), something they’ve been doing for fun in the WT20WC for close to a decade now. Today’s defeat was the first time Australia failed to defend a target in the ICC WT20WC since April 3, 2016. Post the said date, they won 12 consecutive games defending totals in the WT20WC before Laura Wolvaardt & Co’s demolition job in Dubai.
Make no mistake, this wasn’t just a ‘defeat’. Australia Women were completely outplayed from ball one by a ruthless, aggressive and clinical South African side who are deserved finalists.
That’s two finals in a row in the mega event for the Proteas. They are just the fourth team ever to achieve this feat.
And they’ve got there by getting a huge monkey off their back. Today’s victory was South Africa’s FIRST EVER over Australia in ICC WT20WC history. Eighth attempt.
South Africa chased the 135 set by Australia in just 17.2 overs. In WT20WC history, there have only been two other instances where a team knocked down a target against Australia with fewer balls to spare.
Quickest chases against Australia in ICC WT20WCs
16.2 overs - NZ W in Taunton, 2009
16.2 overs - NZ W in Nagpur, 2016
17.2 overs - SA W in Dubai, 2024
The rapid chase was architected by Anneke Bosch who played one of the greatest knocks in WT20WC history. She finished with 74* off 48 balls and got to her fifty in just 31 balls.
It was the joint-fastest fifty by ANY BATTER against Australia in WT20WCs.
Fastest fifties against Australia in the WT20WC
31 balls - Anneke Bosch in Dubai, 2024
31 balls - Smriti Mandhana in Guyana, 2018
32 balls - Harmanpreet Kaur in Cape Town, 2023
It was also the fastest fifty by a South African batter in the WT20WC, with Bosch hammering the previous record set by Lizelle Lee.
Fastest fifties by a SA batter in WT20WC
31 balls - Anneke Bosch vs AUS W in 2024
35 balls - Lizelle Lee vs THA W in 2020
35 balls - Sune Luus vs THA W in 2020
Not only that, Bosch’s 74 was also the highest individual score in this WT20WC 2024
Highest individual scores in WT20WC 2024
74* - Anneke Bosch vs AUS W in Dubai
62* - Maia Bouchier vs SCO W in Sharjah
59* - Laura Wolvaardt vs WI W in Dubai
57* - Tazmin Brits vs WI W in Dubai
South Africa skipper Wolvaardt proved to be the perfect foil for Bosch. She amassed 42 off 37 balls and their 96-run stand helped South Africa break the back of the chase.
During the initial stages of her knock, Wolvaardt became South Africa’s highest run-getter in WT20WC history, and also the only South African batter to cross the 500-run mark in the competition.
Most runs for South Africa in ICC WT20WC
530 - Laura Wolvaardt
493 - Dane van Niekerk
445 - Marizanne Kapp
361 - Mignon du Preez
Wolvaardt also became the highest run-getter of this ongoing WT20WC edition.
In many ways, though, South Africa set up this victory with the ball in hand. Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/31) was slightly expensive but she picked up the huge wicket of stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath. With that Mlaba became the joint-highest wicket-taker in the competition.
Most wickets in WT20WC 2024
10 - Nonkululeko Mlaba
10 - Amelia Kerr
9 - Annabel Sutherland
8 - Megan Schutt
8 - Afy Fletcher
Mlaba also became the first South African bowler in history to pick 10+ wickets in an edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Most wickets taken by a SA W bowler in a WT20WC edition
10 - Nonkululeko Mlaba in 2024
9 - Marizanne Kapp 2023
8 - Shabnim Ismail in 2023
It’s only fitting that we end this piece with Ellyse Perry. The veteran might just have played her last ever game in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Even though Australia lost, Perry set a record. Very typical of her, right?
Perry has now the joint-most appearances in the knockouts by any player in the competition’s history.
Most appearances in knockout games in WT20WC history
14 - Ellyse Perry
14 - Alyssa Healy
12 - Meg Lanning
10 - Jess Jonassen
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