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Australia has marched into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with a six-wicket win over hosts South Africa, sparked by Tahlia McGrath’s 33-ball 57 and Georgia Wareham’s 2-18.
Ash Gardner, who took her 50th T20I wicket earlier within the night time, helped the defending champions spherical out their group-stage marketing campaign undefeated along with her unbeaten 29-ball 28.
Her 56-ball, fourth-wicket 81-run stand with McGrath was the cornerstone of Australia’s profitable 125-run chase within the second fixture of Saturday night time’s double-header on the St George’s Park Stadium in Gqeberha.
No. 6 Grace Harris hit a match-sealing 4 first ball as Australia overhauled the goal with 21 deliveries to spare.
“It is a huge aid. I have never been batting overly nicely and was missing a while within the center, so I used to be a bit nervous to begin off with,” stated participant of the match McGrath.
“I appear to thrive in troublesome conditions and no good within the simpler ones. I simply love a problem. I really like the battle.
“I maintain it fairly easy when it is a tense state of affairs on the market. It appears to be working for me in the mean time. So, yeah, I will simply roll with it.”
Earlier, the absence of Alyssa Healy, dominated out as a precautionary measure with soreness in her left quad, pressured a rejigged batting order.
Ellyse Perry, promoted to associate opener Mooney in Healy’s stead, fetched two fours in her eight-ball keep. She was, nevertheless, caught by first-slip off Marizanne Kapp to the delight of the 8367 crowd at Kapp’s dwelling floor.
Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba added spectacle by having Meg Lanning bowled behind her legs with a top-of-off-stump strike.
Mooney was subsequent to depart, Kapp’s full-length pinging her toe plumb lbw.
A see-saw first 10 overs noticed Australia hunch to 3-40 by the seventh and 3-60 by the midway mark.
Gardner and McGrath rode their luck subsequently, their wild swings sending edges flying past patrolled areas.
Neither pacers nor spinners may maintain McGrath quiet.
The 27-year-old stroked a flurry of fours both aspect of the wicket, the second of three in a brace within the 16th over mentioning her fifth T20I fifty off simply 29 balls.
A disciplined exhibiting from Australia’s seven-pronged assault, Wareham’s 3-0-18-2 included, had earlier restricted South Africa to 6-124 after Lanning opted to bowl.
Australia coupled its sterling efficiency with the ball with enviable fielding, saving a minimum of 15 runs by their boundary-riding alone.
Annabel Sutherland, Healy’s substitute in circumstances favoring tempo, may have had a wicket as early as her third ball.
However Wareham, stationed at brief midwicket, shelled Laura Wolvaardt’s easy catch when she was on 13.
The 23-year-old opener may, nevertheless, add solely one other six runs to her tally as Perry received her to nick a size ball behind.
Mooney, shouldering wicketkeeping duties in Healy’s absence, snared it to interrupt the run-a-ball 54-run opening stand.
Wolvaardt’s wicket on the shut of the ninth over triggered a top-order collapse: South Africa misplaced 4 wickets in 18 balls for simply 23 runs.
Darcie Brown elicited a thick edge off first-drop Kapp within the 11th over.
Wareham then performed her half with aplomb utilizing the on-the-wane floor the place England beat India by 11 runs earlier within the day.
In a double-wicket 12th over, the 23-year-old first grazed the leg stump of Tazmin Brits, the opener falling 5 wanting a 50.
4 balls later, she had Tryon caught off a carbon-copy of the pull she had reprieved Wolvaardt off, on the identical place: brief midwicket.
Gardner then discovered her 50th T20I wicket in opposition captain Sune Luus within the final over of the innings.
-AAP
