Game Proteas women fall agonisingly short in T20 World Cup semi

Dane van Niekerk labelled her and her teammates “babies” in the build-up to their T20 Women’s World Cup semifinal against heavyweights Australia and it, frustratingly, proved rather accurate.

In a match where they seemed to succumb to a bit of stage fright, the Proteas agonisingly missed out on a historic first final, losing by five runs on the DLS method in Sydney on Thursday.

Having finished unbeaten in the pool stages, the South Africans had the added complication of having to wait to see if the rain, which had fallen for much of the day, would relent.

South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt plays a shot during the Twenty20 women’s World Cup semi-final cricket match between Australia and South Africa in Sydney on March 5, 2020. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE —

India had earlier reached Sunday’s showpiece match via a higher log placing after their last four meeting with England was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The Proteas would’ve done the same, but some clearer weather and excellent work by the groundstaff meant play could commence.

South Africa’s varied attack once again did a decent job in keeping their opponents in reasonable check.

But Aussie skipper Meg Lanning’s unbeaten 49 was crucial in guiding the host nation to 134/5, the turning point being the 17 runs she took off Ayabonga Khaka in the 18th over.

That pushed the target up by about 10 to 15 runs more than the Proteas would’ve felt comfortable chasing, a situation compounded by the fact that wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty missed a leg-side stumping when Lanning had 24.

The star of South Africa’s bowling effort was Nadine de Klerk, whose medium pace brought an excellent haul of 3/19 in four overs.

Rain once again intervened during the innings break, handing the Proteas a tough target of 98 off 13 overs.

Once Lizelle Lee was caught at long-on in the third over, South Africa’s chase suffered some body blows, with Van Niekerk and batting talisman Mignon du Preez falling within five deliveries of each other.

The revitalised Laura Wolvaardt, clearly relishing her new role as No 5 in the order, gamely showcased her newfound attacking game with an unbeaten 41 off 27, but a lack of consistent hitting power and some canny Aussie bowling proved decisive, Megan Schutt proving her world-class pedigree with a suffocating spell of 2/17.

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