Huge upset sets up historic T20 World Cup final

1 year ago 77

South Africa upset England by six runs to scope its archetypal Women's T20 World Cup last connected Friday.

Seamers Ayabonga Khaka and Shabnim Ismail shared 7 wickets for the big squad and kept a almighty English batting lineup astatine bay.

South Africa volition look two-time defending champion Australia successful Sunday's final and has the accidental of doing thing the men's nationalist squad has ne'er done — triumph a cricket World Cup, with the added bonus of it being connected location soil.

Khaka took 3 wickets successful the 18th implicit and finished with 4-29, tearing done England's mediate bid successful those six balls erstwhile they looked connected people to successfully pursuit down South Africa's 164-4.

Ismail had 3-27 and bowled the tense past over, erstwhile England inactive had a chance, needing 13 runs with skipper Heather Knight astatine the wicket connected 31 not out. Ismail's 3rd shot of the implicit angled successful astatine Knight, clipped her connected the hep and knocked retired her limb stump, efficaciously sealing it for South Africa.

England needed to deed 2 sixes disconnected the past 2 balls and managed lone 3 much runs to decorativeness connected 158-8.

“It was a large match,” South Africa skipper Sune Luus said. “We were successful and retired of the crippled and it went successful waves. We bash person the champion bowling successful the satellite but it was against the champion batting onslaught successful the world. We kept saying . . . request to beryllium brave and play escaped cricket.”

South Africa's players celebrated their comeback, some successful the crippled and successful the tournament, by leaping connected each different successful a squad huddle adjacent the mediate astatine Newlands. They amazingly mislaid the World Cup opener to Sri Lanka and faced a must-win last radical crippled against Bangladesh to scope the knockout stage.

England felt much semi-final symptom aft its last-four crippled against India astatine the past World Cup was abandoned due to the fact that of rainfall and India went done to the last due to the fact that of a amended grounds successful the radical stage.

England has besides mislaid 3 finals and its triumph successful the inaugural T20 World Cup successful 2009 remains its last.

“Gutted," England skipper Knight said. “Brilliant crippled of cricket. We did good to instrumentality it close. The girls embraced it but it didn’t travel disconnected today.”

South Africa opening batter Tazmin Brits besides had a large interaction connected the game, making 68 from 55 balls and sharing a 96-run opening basal with Laura Wolvaardt (53 from 44), and a speedy 46-run concern with Marizanne Kapp, whose 27 not retired from 13 balls led to a coagulated total.

England's formidable batting started powerfully arsenic openers Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt plundered 53 from the archetypal 5 overs.

Ismail removed Dunkley for 28 and past Alice Capsey for a duck, via a diving one-handed drawback by Brits successful the outfield. It was 1 of 4 catches for Brits.

England powered on, though, with Nat Sciver-Brunt threatening to deed her squad to triumph until she holed retired connected the bound for 40 from 34 balls, and to different 1 of Brits' catches.

Khaka and Ismail past made definite of South Africa's victory.

Australia is the beardown favourite to triumph the final, having triumphed successful 5 of the 7 erstwhile T20 World Cups. Sunday volition beryllium Australia's seventh consecutive final.

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