Key events
4th over: Australia 23-2 (Mooney 7, McGrath 2). Mooney and the captain, McGrath, get a single each as Khaka continues and the Proteas quicks continue to apply powerplay pressure, but this pair do a decent job of at least keeping the scoreboard moving and the strike rotating.
Wicket! Wareham c Jafta b Kapp 5, Australia 18-2
3rd over: Australia 18-2 (Mooney 4). Mooney seizes her first chance to be expansive, square-driving firmly to the long boundary for three off Kapp. The first boundary off the bat comes via a free hit Kapp presents to Georgia Wareham who swipes to the deep midwicket boundary for four. But other than that Kapp is finding a good testing length that keeps the batter honest, and then beats Wareham with an outswinger that prompts a rejected appeal for a catch behind, which is reviewed. And rightly so. Wareham’s gone, there was an edge. This is excellent from South Africa.
2nd over: Australia 10-1 (Mooney 1, Wareham 1). Seam at both ends, and it works. Khaka dismissing Harris with her first delivery. Australia punt Wareham up the order, who gets off the mark with a single. There’s definite swing in the air, and Mooney is watchful against a bowler who’s had success against left-handers in this tournament. This is, in this very early stage, a promising start for the Proteas.
Wicket! Harris c Bosch by Khaka 3, Australia 7-1
Khaka strikes with her first ball, Harris cutting low to backward point and Bosch scooping up a fine catch.
1st over: Australia 7-0 (Harris 3 Mooney 0). Seam up first with the mighty Marizanne Kapp taking the new ball in the dusky light, and she beats Harris with an away-swinger straight away. This is why they back their bowlers to go first. Harris responds by moving in front of off and gets Australia on the board with a dinky little ramp to fine leg for two. A single (despite Harris wanting to come back for a second) is followed by four byes as what looked like an inside edge zips through Jafta’s fingers behind the stumps.
A rather gorgeous sunset is visible on the skyline as the teams stride out for the anthems, amid the usual fireworky shenanigans. And the anthems ring out in fairly operatic style. Let’s go …
Alyssa Healy “continues to be assessed daily”, according to the Australia camp, so could return for any final appearance.
Those teams in full
Australia: Grace Harris, Beth Mooney †, Tahlia McGrath (c), Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta †, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka
South Africa win the toss and bowl
Laura Wolvaardt fancies a chase and doesn’t hesitate to field first when the coin lands the right side up. South Africa field an unchanged side. “Hopefully we can catch them off guard,” she says. Tahlia McGrath is happy enough to bat first, get to 160-170 and apply some scoreboard pressure. The Aussie captain confirms Healy’s absence as they too go with the same XI that played India in their last game.
Earlier in the week, before West Indies’ spectacular display against England, Raf Nicholson wrote an insightful summary of what we’ve learned from the tournament so far. Tuck in while we wait for the toss:
Is the UAE the spinner’s paradise we were all led to believe? Five of the top 10 leading wicket-takers in the tournament so far are seamers – including Australia’s Megan Schutt (eight wickets) and Annabel Sutherland (seven). When Australia v India came down to the wire on Sunday, with India needing 14 runs from the final over, it was Sutherland who the stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath turned to. The all-rounder was the embodiment of composure, giving away only five runs (while taking two wickets) as Australia held firm.
Preamble
Afternoon/evening/(very early) morning everyone. Welcome to the latest episode in what consensus has it is Australia’s procession to another World T20 title. South Africa stand in their way today, having put together some commanding wins in the group stage, bar their fairly convincing defeat by England. But Heather Knight’s increasingly brittle side messed up at the last and have gone home.
All of which leaves the Proteas as probably the second strongest of the semi-finalists, with their leading talents – such as Laura Woolvaardt and Tamzin Brits with the bat, the effective left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba with the ball and the always dangerous all-rounder Marizanne Kapp – all in decent nick, they should pose Australia their biggest challenge of the tournament so far.
For the holders have been formidable, twice bowling opponents out in under 20 overs and even in their narrowest win, over India, they never lost control. There’s match-winners everywhere you look down their line-up, even when key players are injured. One such, Alyssa Healy, was still doubtful overnight having picked up a foot injury against Pakistan but the Australia camp say they want to give her as much time as possible to declare herself fit to play in Dubai today. And the fact that Dubai, the best of the surfaces used in the tournament, is today’s venue gives us hope for some decent scoring rates in what has been a low-scoring competition.
These sides met in the final of the last World T20, of course, where home advantage didn’t count for enough for South Africa, and Australia carved out a 19-run victory, because that’s what they do.
We’ll be under way at 3pm BST/6pm local time/1am AET. Stick around.
