The South African teams, both men’s and women’s, have been labeled as chokers as they’ve been known to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory at World Cups.
So, when South African women were required to get 135 for victory in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup against Australia, the skeptics wondered if the Proteas would be up for it. But what followed surprised even their ardent fans.
The aggressive way they batted to chase down the target with eight wickets and 16 balls to spare warmed the cockles of many a heart present at the Dubai stadium.
Skipper Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 37, 3×4 1×6) and Anneke Bosch (74 not out 48, 8×4, 1×6) ensured they sent six-time champions Australia packing for the first time in eight editions at the semi-final stage.
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“This is one of the best wins of my cricketing career. It was an amazing chase, and the bowlers did an excellent job. We found a little formula, and I’m glad some of the plans worked,” said a smiling Wolvaardt, who had ended up on the losing side despite being the top scorer in the final against the same opponents in the last edition.
