Proteas geared up for series decider — Wolvaardt
Having finally registered a first win over Australia in a limitedovers encounter, the Proteas women are hoping this will be the start of a good run against the yellow juggernaut.
SA beat the T20 world champions by six wickets in the second match on Sunday, having gone down to these opponents by eight wickets 24 hours earlier, both matches played at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.
A disciplined bowling effort saw them restrict the hosts to a below-par 142/6. That was followed by a measured run chase in which captain Laura Wolvaardt registered an unbeaten 58, while Tazmin Brits scored a valuable 41, sharing 75 runs for the first wicket as the tourists reached the winning target with six balls to spare.
It was the 24th time the sides had met in limited overs [ODI and T20] cricket, with the Aussies winning the previous 23 encounters. A tied ODI in 2016 was the closest they came previously, and Sunday’s result also squared the multiformat series after Australia won Saturday’s opening contest.
Wolvaardt will be aiming for another strong performance as they attempt to claim a historic first-series victory over the Aussies.
“Now that we have won a game against them, we know they are beatable and we have done it before,” said Wolvaardt. “They are still a really good side. We will have to play some good cricket down in Hobart, so we cannot get ahead of ourselves just yet, but we will enjoy the win today.”
She said she would like to see her side being more clinical in the field and making more of the chances offered them.
“Probably just our fielding, we can tighten up on that. We see how they field and they don’t let a single chance go by, so we can keep tightening up on that and we did take a few nice catches.
“I am also very happy with the improvement we showed overnight in the batting and bowling [departments].”
Wolvaardt said it is pretty special to be able to lead this group of players to victory against such a powerhouse in the women’s game.
She lost her first T20 international series in charge against Pakistan, before two drawn series against New Zealand and Bangladesh in 2023.
“The T20s have been more up and down, losing the series in Pakistan, so it is a very special win for us, and with it being the first ever win [against Australia], being able to captain the side was very special,” she said.
After the T20 series, the teams move on to three ODIs in Adelaide and North Sydney before a one-off Test starting on February 15 in Perth.*