A match-winning five for 13 from captain Nondumiso Shangase helped Team South Africa register their maiden T20 win at the 13th African Games by eight wickets against Tanzania at the Achimota Senior Secondary School in Accra on Friday.
The women’s cricket team’s turnaround after the opening upset loss to Namibia was mirrored when SA women won two more bronze medals on Friday, with Marinda Roetz winning South Africa’s second bronze in Women’s kumite (50kg).
Egypt continue to streak ahead on the medals table, having won 12 gold in a total haul of 18 medals today, with Algeria (3 gold) and Morocco (two gold) filling the podium spaces on the continental leaderboard for the African Games.
SA cricketers earned their first two points in Group A of the cricket leaderboard after Shangase’s exemplary five-for helped bowl out Tanzania for 66 in 18.3 overs before contributions from Jemma Botha (28) and Faye Tunnicliffe (29*) secured South Africa’s eight-wicket triumph.
After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, Team SA stifled the Tanzanian batters in the opening period of the game before seamer Leah Jones (2/5) delivered the ultimate ball to dismiss opener Perice Kamunya (2) LBW to make the initial breakthrough.
Jones soon followed that up with her second wicket of the morning, completing a smart caught and bowled to remove the other opening batter Saum Mtae for nine to leave Tanzania 17/2 at the end of the final field-restricted over.
After the powerplay, Team SA continued to pick up important wickets, this time through Proteas Women-capped all-rounder Annerie Dercksen (2/8), who picked up the scalps of Neema Pius (7) and Agnes Qwele (4) in her first two overs of the match.
Photo: Proteas Women on X
Photo: Team SA
With the score 32/4 at the halfway mark of Tanzania’s innings, Team SA captain Shangase entered the action in fine fashion and struck with her third ball of the encounter as Caitlin Wyngaard took the catch to see the back of Mwanaidi Swedy (9).
Shangase then, assisted by the wicket of Hudaa Omary (9) off the bowling of Ghandi Jafta (1/), marked the beginning of the end for the Tanzanians as the right-arm spinner picked up three more quick wickets to leave their opponents 58/9 after 17 overs.
In the penultimate over of the contest, Shangase claimed her five-wicket haul with the final wicket of the match, removing Mwanavua Ushanga (5) to conclude the Tanzania innings on 66 all out after 18.3 overs.
Tasked with getting 67 runs for their first victory of the competition, Team SA lost an early wicket in Annerie Dercksen (1) before Botha and Tunnicliffe grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck to propel South Africa to 46/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Still needing 21 runs to win, the duo of Botha and Tunnicliffe continued to dominate proceedings out in the middle as the pair brought up their 50-run stand for the second wicket before Botha was eventually dismissed for a well-played 28 by Aisha Mohamed (1/12).
Despite the all-important wicket, Tunnicliffe and Shangase (4*) saw Team SA over the line in the 11th over to seal the eight-wicket victory and get off the mark in Group A. South Africa (2 points) currently sit second in their group, behind log-leaders Nigeria (3) by one point after the Nigerians’ win over Namibia on Friday.
South Africa will look to clinch semi-final qualification in their final round-robin encounter against Nigeria on Sunday, 10 March at the same venue.
Main Photo Caption: The SA T20 Cricket Team pictured at the Opening Ceremony of the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, on Friday, 8 March, 2024. Photo: Proteas Women on X
Photo 2 Caption: SA T20 team Skipper Nondumiso Shangase (right) celebrated #IWD with a fiver against Tanzania and stepped up as flagbearer at the opening ceremony. Photo: Proteas Women on X
Photo 3 Caption: Marinda Roetz made inroads for Team South Africa on the medals leaderboard when she added a second Karate bronze in Women’s kumite (50kg). Photo: Team SA
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