Dubai: A big stage can sometimes even rattle top performers but those who manage to overcome that fear and bring out their best make the difference on the day.
South African batter Anneke Bosch displayed her mettle by guiding her team to an eight-wicket victory, knocking two-time defending champions Australia out of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
The 31-year-old is relatively new to the Twenty20 format, having made her debut in 2022. Her recent performances had been quiet, with just an unbeaten 46 in her last 10 games. But Bosch didn’t let the stats hold her back, producing her career-best Twenty20 score of 74 not out by executing her shots with precision in a high-stakes match that brought together the finalists of the previous World Cup.
Under skipper Laura Wolvaardt, they avenged their past loss, giving South Africa a chance to win their first World Cup title.
Calm under pressure
"The win is right up there; it 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 today. It's been a good year for us, and it's been a real collective group effort,” said a smiling Wolvaardt, pleased with the win after ending up on the losing side in the last edition despite being the top scorer.
Australia wasn’t the same force without their talismanic skipper Alyssa Healy, and South Africa capitalised on her absence, making run-scoring difficult for the six-time champions. Beth Mooney and stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath kept the scoreboard moving, but they lacked the necessary momentum. Ellyse Perry and Phoebe Litchfield provided some late impetus, but it came too late.
South Africa played like champions, maintaining control of the game from start to finish.
Big stage
After restricting Australia to an under-par 134 for five, Bosch walked in at 25/1 in 4.1 overs, with a determined mindset. The target wasn’t large, but the big stage made it seem daunting. Bosch made the necessary mental adjustments, and alongside skipper Wolvaardt, shifted into overdrive, keeping up the aggressive pace until South Africa crossed the finish line.
She showed no fear, taking on deep fielders, including a 73-metre six over midwicket, signaling that nothing would stop her from achieving her goal.
"My heart is racing. It was quite tough out there, but I'm really glad we could get over the line and that I could finally contribute with some runs. I just try not to overthink, and don't try too many things—just play what the conditions allow and stick to what's in your mind,” Bosch told the broadcasters after receiving the Player of the Match award. “I can't really describe what this win means to us, but we knew we were capable of it. We had a pretty good tournament coming into this game and were quite confident.”
Tight bowling
South Africa's fielding proved decisive, a difference that highlighted Australia's struggles. Their earlier victory against India had relied on dropped chances, a luxury they couldn’t afford this time.
“It’s important to hold on to your catches, and I'm just glad I held on to it,” said Bosch, after taking a sharp chance off Grace Harris that gave South Africa an early breakthrough.
The South African bowlers also deserve full credit for maintaining tight lines and lengths, keeping the Australian batters in check.
“What really worked for me in this competition was my changes in pace. I just threw a couple of arm balls there. It was definitely not an easy challenge, but I managed to bowl four overs for 31 runs. That was good, especially against Australia because I knew they'd come hard at me. I am really happy, and it's a good score to chase for our batters,” said South African left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Australia’s struggles
McGrath acknowledged the disappointment: "It's going to be pretty hard to take. We just didn't really show up tonight. You can't afford to do that in tournaments like this. Full credit to South Africa. They outplayed us tonight. South Africa bowled really well, took the pace off nicely, and made it hard for us to take risks. At the halfway mark, we thought 140-150 was the par score.”
Now, South Africa awaits the winner of the second semifinal between the West Indies and New Zealand, to be played at the Sharjah Stadium on Friday.
