South Africa breezed into the semifinals of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2014 with the decision to stifle New Zealand with spin on a slow surface proving to be the difference in a five-wicket win on Monday, 31 March 2014 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh.
(Click here for to visit the tournament home at the official ICC-Cricket website, Scroll down for Result and Fixtures, Groups and the Momentum SA Proteas Team)
#CSAnews CSA hails Proteas women on reaching semis http://t.co/kc6tqy7G8d
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) March 31, 2014
#CSAnews SA women qualify for the World T20 semis with historic victory http://t.co/RTjcVRIm4z
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) March 31, 2014
New Zealand had a simple success mantra leading into its final Group A fixture: win the toss, bat first, bury the opposition under a mountain of runs, and allow the bowlers to come into their own.
But when it mattered, South Africa bucked the trend by first restricting New Zealand to 114 for 8, and then overcoming a few nerves to get past the finish line with four balls to spare, Mignon du Preez hitting a crucial 47-ball 51 to shepherd most of the chase.
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That South Africa got into a position from where it could dictate terms was courtesy the spin troika of Dane van Niekerk, Sune Luus and Sunette Loubser, who conceded just 41 runs in nine overs between them. Most importantly, they picked up the vital scalps of Suzie Bates, Sara McGlashan and Katie Perkins.
That passage of play slowed New Zealand’s progress and eventually ensured it finished with a below-par total.
Things didn't go to plan last night, with South Africa beating the girls by five wickets. Their first loss of the tournament and yet…
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) March 31, 2014
…the girls are narrowly eliminated on Net run-rate. This one hurts.
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) March 31, 2014
It had started differently for New Zealand, as Bates and Sophie Devine added 35 in the Power Play overs. While Devine rolled out the fireworks early on, Bates, who had scored 167 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of over 140 prior to Monday’s match, looked unusually subdued.
With her timing nowhere near her best, the frustration of not being allowed to break free resulted in her downfall when Bates drove van Niekerk, the legspinner, straight to cover point to break the 41-run opening stand.
It was just the start of a long batting line-up, as South Africa ran into the experienced McGlashan. But Luus and Loubser stuck to tight lines to frustrate New Zealand. In a six-over period following Bates’s dismissal, New Zealand managed just two boundaries, but it wasn’t as if the runs had dried out completely. At 70 for 1 in the 13th over, it had set itself up for an onslaught at the death.
South Africa grew edgy, but against the run of play came a wicket to once again give hope. McGlashan lofted Luus hoping it would clear the infield, only to find van Niekerk leaping in the air and pulling off a one-handed stunner at mid-on.
Perkins missed an attempted sweep to be trapped plumb in front in the 15th over, and three balls later, Devine holed out to long-on for 40 to leave New Zealand in trouble at 83 for 4. The lower order went down swinging and managed to add 31 more, but South Africa held the aces at the halfway mark.
That confidence rubbed off on the openers who came out all guns blazing. Lizelle Lee’s first scoring shot was a superbly carved six over extra cover in the first over, while van Niekerk played a delightful straight drive off the next.
But Morna Nielsen had the last laugh when Lee was bowled playing outside the line of a quicker delivery in the third over.
Devine made it a double delight for New Zealand when she dismissed Trisha Chetty, but van Niekerk wasn’t going to throw in the towel without a fight, even if it meant she had to play against her instincts. At the other end, du Preez was given a reprieve on 15, when Maddy Green put down an attempted slog sweep at deep midwicket after doing most things right in getting to the ball from the boundary.
It was a let-off that would prove costly.
From there on, there was a sense of calm, even as the asking rate escalated close to seven runs an over with 10 overs to play. New Zealand created a stir with the wicket of van Niekerk in the 11th over, but du Preez cut loose by smashing four boundaries in the next three overs.
There was another twist in store when Marizanne Kapp and du Preez were dismissed off consecutive deliveries to leave South Africa with nine to get off eight balls.
But Shandre Fritz calmed the nerves by backing away and carving a boundary over mid-off. There were four runs needed off the last over, and the target was achieved without too many difficulties, as Chloe Tyron cleared the infield to seal the win with a boundary.
In the end, it was du Preez’s knock was the icing on the cake as South Africa made it to the final four for the first time in its fourth attempt. For New Zealand, who won three out of its four matches, it was an unfortunate end to a tournament where it did most things right.
2014 ICC Women’s World T20 Results and Fixtures*: Sun 23 Mar: 1. Australia beat New Zealand by 7 runs (Group A) 2. South Africa beat Pakistan by 44 runs (Group A) Mon 24 Mar: 3. West Indies beat England by 9 runs (Group B) 4. Sri Lanka beat India by 22 runs (Group B) Tue 25 Mar: 5. New Zealand beat Ireland 42 runs (Group A) 6. Australia beat South Africa by 6 wickets (Group A) Wed 26 Mar: 7. West Indies beat Bangladesh by 36 runs (Group B) 8. England beat India by 5 wickets (Group B) Thu 27 Mar: 9. Australia beat Ireland by 78 runs (Group A) 10. New Zealand beat Pakistan b 59 runs (Group A) Fri 28 Mar: 11. England beat Bangladesh by 79 runs (Group B) 12. Sri Lanka v West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets (Group B) Sat 29 Mar: 13. South Africa beat Ireland by 86 runs (Group A) Click to read the match scorecard at ESPN Cricinfocom 14. Australia beat Pakistan by 94 runs (Group A) Sun 30 Mar: 15. India beat Bangladesh by 79 runs (Group B) 16. England beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets (Group B) Mon 31 Mar: 17. Pakistan beat Ireland by 14 runs (Group A) 18. South Africa beat New Zealand by 5 wickets (Group A) Tue 1 Apr: 19. 11:30, Group A – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Group B) 20. 15:30, Group A – India v West Indies (Group B) Wed 2 Apr: 21. 11:30 WT20 2016 Qualification Play-Off – TBC v TBC (A3 v B4) 22. 15:30 WT20 2016 Qualification Play-Off – TBC v TBC (A4 v B3) Thu 3 Apr: 23. 10:30 1st Semi-Final – TBC v TBC (A1 v B2) (Shere Bangla National Stadium) 24. 11:30 9th place play-off – TBC v TBC (Loser playoff 1 v Loser playoff 2) 25. 15:30 7th place play-off – TBC v TBC (A5 v B5) Fri 4 Apr: 26. 10:30 2nd Semi-Final – TBC v TBC (A2 v B1) (Shere Bangla National Stadium) Sun 6 Apr: 27. 10:30 Final – TBC v TBC (Shere Bangla National Stadium) Sat 7 Apr: 27. 10:30 Final Reserve Day * All matches played at the Sylhet Stadium unless otherwise indicated Groups for the 2014 ICC Women’s World T20 in Bangladesh: Group A: Australia; New Zealand; Pakistan; South Africa Group B: England; India; Sri Lanka; West Indies Momentum Proteas ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Team *: Mignon du Preez (C) (Northerns) @MdpMinx22 Trisha Chetty (VC) (KZN Coastal) @trisha_chetty Chloe Tryon (KZN Coastal) @chloetryon25 Dané van Niekerk (Eastern Province) @danev81 Lizelle Lee (North West) @zella15j Marcia Matshipi Letsoalo (Northerns) Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province) @kappie777 Moseline Daniels (Western Province) Nadine Moodley (KZN Coastal) Shabnim Ismail (Western Province) Shandré Fritz (Western Province) @fritzysa Suné Luus (Northerns) @SuneLuus Sunette Loubser (Boland) Yolandi van der Westhuizen (Boland)
* Twitter Account names follow selected names. For live Twitter action from the World Twenty20, follow the ladies above, @OfficialCSA for Cricket SA, and @momentum_za for updating by team sponsor Momentum.
The Momentum Cricket App: Follow the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 on the Momentum Cricket App. The App is immediately available on iOS, and the Android version will be available in time for the World Cup. Key features include live scoring for all SA games (Women & Men) for Tests, ODI’s and T20 matches, including player profiles with player stats.
Photo 1 caption: Momentum Proteas skipper Mignon du Preez captain drives through the covers on her way to a match-winning 51 (47 balls), an innings that secured her the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Player of the Match award in a winning effort that put the South Africans ahead of New Zealand’s White Ferns in their battle for the second of two Group A semi-final berths, at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on 31 March, 2014 in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Photo: Pal Pillai-IDI/IDI/Getty Images
Photo 2 caption: South Africa’s Momentum Proteas celebrate a remarkable moment, the only defeat dealt to New Zealand’s talented White Ferns at the 2014 ICC Women’s World Twenty20. Photo: Pal Pillai-IDI/IDI/Getty Images
Video caption: Courtesy ICC
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