Just hours after India got past Bangladesh to maintain their second spot in Group A, South Africa remained on their tail in pursuit of a semifinal spot. Tazmin Brits slammed her maiden skyexchange cricket ton to power her side to an 88-run win over Netherlands that put South Africa level on points with India, but only behind on an inferior NRR (0.734 to India’s 2.268).
Laura Wolvaardt chose the right game to shrug off her slow start to the World Cup as she combined with Brits for an opening partnership worth 121 runs. In the fifth over from Silver Siegers, Wolvaardt began with a boundary and Brits hit three more to quickly take South Africa past 50 inside the Powerplay. The pair didn’t hit sixes but the high scoring rate was maintained as boundaries came at will. There was no slowing down in the post-Powerplay period either, as they dragged their team to 94/0 at the halfway stage. In the 11th over, Brits got to her fifty off 35 deliveries.
Netherlands just didn’t seem like they could break this opening stand, until Hannah Landheer dismissed Wolvaardt against the run of play in the 14th over for a 36-ball 45. Brits remained unfazed despite such an event, hitting Frederique Overdijk for three boundaries in the following over to take South Africa to the death overs on 142/1.
South Africa’s No.3 batter Annerie Dercksen arrived with the agenda of smashing the ball around as her 16-ball 37 helped push the team past the 200-run mark. Brits still scored more in this stand – 50 of the 87 added by the pair. It wasn’t until the 18th over of the game when the first six of the innings was hit – it also brought up Brits’s maiden T20I hundred. Dercksen tonked one in the same over to take 14 off it. Hell broke loose against Siegers in the penultimate over of the innings as Dercksen started it with a four and a six and Brits closed it out with two sixes. Dercksen got two more fours – in the final over, that took the team to 208/1.
Te Netherlands openers then made an earnest effort of maximising the Powerplay and keeping South Africa on their toes, at least at the start. Phebe Molkenboer and Sanya Khurana – both just 21 years of age – got going with a flurry of fours. Molkenboer went after Shabnim Ismail, Khurana hit them off Ayabonga Khaka as Netherlands had 50/0 in the Powerplay. Even as Chloe Tryon broke through in the eighth over with the wicket of Khurana, another strong stand began to brew. Sterre Kalis joined Molkenboer to push the chase ahead with regular boundaries. That stand – worth 42, was then broken by Ismail who dismissed Kalis in the 15th over.
A collapse then ensued as Netherlands went from 100/2 to 120/8, with Khaka striking thrice in the final over and completing the rout. The victory gives Group A a tantalising setup – England have already qualified but the second semifinal spot will go down to the wire. South Africa play Bangladesh in their final league game on June 28. Later on the same evening, India’s hopes will rest on their highly-anticipated fixture against Australia.
Brief Scores: South Africa 208/1 in 20 overs (Tazmin Brits 114*, Laura Wolvaardt 45, Annerie Dercksen 37) beat Netherlands 120/8 in 20 overs (Phebe Molkenboer 41, Sanya Khurana 36; Chloe Tryon 2-16, Ayabonga Khaka 3-19) by 88 runs
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