The South African women’s team has done the unthinkable by knocking out the Australian women’s team from the ongoing women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. In Semifinal 1, South Africa defeated Australia by 8 wickets to reach successive finals of the WT20 World Cup. The game took place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where South Africa elected to bowl first after winning the toss. Invited to bat first, Australia had a shaky start with two wickets down in just three overs. However, from there, Australia tried to control damage, but South African bowlers struck regularly to restrict Australia to 134/5 in 20 overs. The target of 135 against the Australian bowling lineup in a pressure game like a semifinal will always be a tough nut to crack.
But South African batters not just cracked this nut; they also ate it with joy, especially skipper Laura Wolveraadt and Anekke Bosch. Both Wolveraadt and Bosch struck Australian bowlers in every corner of the ground and helped South Africa achieve the required runs in just 17.2 overs. With this win, South Africa has now broken the Australian streak of playing seven consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup finals.
Match Scorecard: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1, Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
Australia Women Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Grace Harris | c Bosch b Khaka | 3 | 5 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
| Beth Mooney | run out (Kapp) | 44 | 42 | 104.76 | 2 | 0 |
| Georgia Wareham | c Jafta b Kapp | 5 | 9 | 55.55 | 1 | 0 |
| Tahlia McGrath (c) | c Dercksen b Mlaba | 27 | 33 | 81.81 | 3 | 0 |
| Ellyse Perry | c Brits b Khaka | 31 | 23 | 134.78 | 2 | 0 |
| Phoebe Litchfield | not out | 16 | 9 | 177.77 | 3 | 0 |
| Extras | (b 4, lb 1, nb 1, w 2) | 8 | ||||
| Total | 20 Ov (RR: 6.70) | 134/5 |
South Africa Women Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Marizanne Kapp | 4 | 24 | 1 | 6 |
| Ayabonga Khaka | 4 | 24 | 2 | 6 |
| Nonkululeko Mlaba | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 |
| Nadine de Klerk | 2 | 14 | 0 | 7 |
| Chloe Tryon | 4 | 25 | 0 | 6.25 |
| Sune Luus | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5.5 |
South Africa Women Batting
| Batter | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | |
| Laura Wolvaardt (c) | c McGrath b Sutherland | 42 | 37 | 113.51 | 3 | 1 |
| Tazmin Brits | b Sutherland | 15 | 15 | 100 | 1 | 1 |
| Anneke Bosch | not out | 74 | 48 | 154.16 | 8 | 1 |
| Chloe Tryon | not out | 1 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | (w 3) | 3 | ||||
| Total | 17.2 Ov (RR: 7.78) | 135/2 |
Australia Women Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | ECON |
| Megan Schutt | 3.2 | 25 | 0 | 7.5 |
| Ashleigh Gardner | 3 | 26 | 0 | 8.66 |
| Annabel Sutherland | 4 | 26 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Sophie Molineux | 3 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
| Darcie Brown | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Georgia Wareham | 2 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Tahlia McGrath | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Player of the Match: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1
South Africa all-rounder Anneke Bosch guided her team with a blistering innings of 74* off 48 balls, and for this match-winning batting performance, she was adjudged the player of the match in semifinal 1 of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
| Player | Team | Bowling Figures |
| Anneke Bosch | South Africa Women | 74* (48) |
Most Runs: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1
Anneke Bosch earned the Player of the Match award for her knock of 74* in the Aus W vs SA W semifinal match; with this inning, she also recorded the highest individual score of this match.
| Player | Team | Batting Figures |
| Anneke Bosch | South Africa Women | 74* (48) |
Most Wickets: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1
South African pacer Ayabonga Khaka was the most lethal bowler in the semifinal between Australia and South Africa. In her four-overs spell, she dismissed two batters and remained economical as well.
| Player | Team | Bowling Figures |
| Ayabonga Khaka | South Africa Women | 2/24 (4 overs) |
Most Sixes: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1
No Australian batter was able to hit a six in semifinal no. 1 of the WT20 World Cup 2024; the three sixes of the entire game were struck by the South African side, with Wolveraadt, Brits, and Bosch striking one six each.
| Player | Team | Sixes |
| Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa Women | 1 |
| Tazmin Brits | South Africa Women | 1 |
| Anneke Bosch | South Africa Women | 1 |
Playing XIs: AUS W vs SA W Semifinal No. 1
Australia Women Playing XI
Grace Harris, Beth Mooney, Georgia Wareham, Tahila McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Phoebe Litchfield, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
South Africa Women Playing XI
Laura Wolveraadt, Tazmin Brits, Anekke Bosch, Chloe Tryon, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka
Read More: SA W vs SCO W Match Result
