Dubai: South Africa turned up the heat in their bid to clinch their maiden title with an authoritative display, romping to a 10-wicket win over the West Indies in their Group B encounter at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.
South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt continued her fine form from the 2023 tournament, where she was the top scorer, making batting look effortless and giving the impression that she was playing on a different surface from the one the West Indies batters struggled on.
Dominant chase
Chasing an under-par target of 119 for the win, Wolvaardt (59 not out) and Tazmin Britts (58 not out) cruised to their half-centuries, guiding South Africa home with plenty to spare. The win should calm the nerves of the 2023 runners-up, who lost both their warm-up games.
Wolvaardt also excelled in her role as South Africa’s new captain, making timely bowling changes that stifled the West Indies innings. It was a good toss to win for Wolvaardt, who had no hesitation in putting West Indies in to bat to assess the conditions.
“Not that easy to play on the conditions. One of the harder knocks I have had physically, especially after fielding first. It was pretty excellent overall performance. The way Kappie started and then to have Mlaba take four wickets, it is amazing. Then to win with ten wickets in the shed, that is amazing as well.”
Mlaba Shines with the ball
Though both teams fielded plenty of spinners, South African left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba made the most of the conditions, turning in a career-best haul of four for 29. Despite being just 24 years old, Mlaba showed immense maturity, using her experience to keep the Caribbean Islanders on the back foot with regular dismissals. Veteran South African Marizanne Kapp set the tone by removing West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews early on.
“Very special for me, I love playing and representing my people back in South Africa. Today, it was about sticking to the stumps line, and that worked really well for me,” Mlaba told broadcasters after being named Player of the Match.
Taylor’s standout performance
The West Indies never fully recovered from Matthews’ early dismissal, although Stafanie Taylor demonstrated how to play on a wicket that offered both turn and bounce. Taylor remained unbeaten on 44, showcasing her class with a straight drive off Annerie Dercksen, and guided West Indies to 118 for six in their 20 overs.
Fielding concerns for South Africa
If there is one area of concern for South Africa, it is their fielding. A few dropped catches went unpunished in this match, but such lapses could be costly as the tournament progresses.
“It was really hot. The wicket was a bit slow, and they started changing pace and using their variations, which made it hard to hit down the ground. We didn’t get many boundaries, and running between the wickets was tough. It was crucial for us to build some partnerships. Losing Hayley early is never easy, and then losing Deandra as well,” Stafanie Taylor told the broadcasters.
West Indies are yet to taste a win in UAE after losing both their warm-up matches, the 2016 champions need to put a up a far better show to stay in the race for the semi-finals in the group that also has former champions England and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, who had the heartbreak of having the tournament moved away from home to UAE, produced a clinical win against Scotland in the opener and they will aim to continue their winning run against England at the Sharjah Stadium (6pm start) on Saturday.
“It was a very disappointing game and not the way we wanted to start. We have to pick ourselves up quickly. We have a game in two days’ time and we have to bounce back quickly. We were able to build some partnerships in between but probably not able to strike the way we wanted to,” Matthews said.
