A brilliant
century from South African skipper Cri-Zelda Brits helped South Africa maintain their
unbeaten run at the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier.
Brits, who
became the first centurion at the tournament, batted for over three hours for
her unbeaten 107, as South Africa
defeated the Netherlands
by 227 runs in their final group game.
And Brits
admitted that her side is full of confidence ahead of their semi-final tomorrow
against Ireland, with the winner of that match qualifying for the ICC Women’s
World Cup in 2009.
"We wanted
to put three in the bag and we’ve done that. I’m very happy that everybody
chipped in" said Brits. "We know there’s a challenge there for us, and we know
that to qualify we need to win the game. Tomorrow is more like a final for us."
South Africa, who elected to bat after winning
the toss, recovered well from the loss of Daleen Terblanche in the opening over
of the game, to post a formidable total of 277-4.
Brits, who
became the fifth South African woman to score an ODI hundred, was well
supported by an excellent innings of 73 by Annelie Minny, while Alicia Smith’s
cameo innings of 45 from just 30 balls, including a huge six, was also
outstanding.
And Brits
admitted it was nice to finally get a century for her country. "It’s been
a long time coming. My coach has been waiting for me to score one for ages now
so it’s nice to get one and hopefully I can get a couple more" she said.
In reply,
the Netherlands
lost early wickets and struggled to come to grips with a strong South African
attack as they collapsed to 50 all out.
As for the Netherlands, skipper Helmien Rambaldo admitted
that her side had faced a tough match but is full of hope ahead of tomorrow’s
semi-final against Pakistan.
"It’s a massive game," said Rambaldo. "It’s our big focus and we’re hoping to
do well. That’s the game that matters."
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