PROTEAS’ Tazmin Brits batted her way to the Player of the Match award against Bangladesh in Dubai last night. Shutterstock
Bangladesh Women: 106/3 (Sobhana Mostary 38; Anneries Dercksen 1/7, Marizanne Kapp 1/10)
South Afric Women: 107/3 (Tazmin Brits 42, Anneke Boschh 25; Fahima Khatun 2/19)
South Africa Women won by seven wickets with 16 balls remaining.
PROTEAS Women beat Bangladesh Women by seven wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday but took a hit on their Net-Run-Rate as they chased down a 107-run target in 17.2 overs.
Ideally, Proteas Women would have preferred to bat first in Dubai considering that they did not only need to win but needed to do so convincingly to give themselves a better chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
As a result, they took too long to chase what was a very small target as the team’s Net-Run-Rate took a dip. This means that South Africa will be watching Tuesday’s fixture between England Women and West Indies closely as their fate depends on it.
Back on the Bangladesh match, having been asked to bowl first, the new ball pair of Marizanne Kapp and Ayaboga Khaka started very well for South Africa as they restricted the hosts to 21/1 in the first powerplay with Kapp accounting for Dilara Akter.
After the first powerplay, despite a costly over from Nadine de Klerk (0/29), spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba (1/11) and Chloe Tryon (0/19) kept Bangladesh Women quiet in the middle overs with Mlaba bowling out the dangerous Sobhana Mostary (38), to take her wicket tally to nine wickets in the tournament.
All-rounder Anneri Dercksen (1/7) also got in the wickets as she accounted for Shathi Rani (19) and helped South Africa restrict the hosts to 106/3 after 20 overs.
In reply, opening batter Laura Wolvaardt (7) lost her wickets inside the first powerplay and left Tazmin Brits and Anneke Bosch to pick up the pieces.
Having had a tough tournament leading, Bosch (25, 2x4) showed signs of good form and she built a decent partnership with Brits after losing Wolvaardt very early in the innings.
Brits said she kept telling Bosch to rotate the strike as they aimed to build a solid partnership after Wolvaardt’s dismissal.
“I told her (Bosch) to look for rotating strike. We actually did not have a bad powerplay,” said Brits.
“I thought it was pretty good. We did not want to lose a quick wicket again so I almost went back to my shell a bit because I just wanted to build a partnership. She took a release off me when she started hitting boundaries.”
However, it was Brits who top-scored with a mature 41-ball 42, a knock that saw the right-handed batter smash five boundaries and walk away with the Player of the Match award.
Brits said it was a challenge facing slower bowlers but her determination to represent the country well kept her in the contest.
“I keep wanting more. I’m never satisfied with what I’m doing but I think it was a very difficult wicket out there today (yesterday) so I’m very proud of myself,” she said.
“They bowl pretty slow, it’s difficult to get the ball away and they are quite good with their field placing especially for me. There are a few shots that I don’t have in my book that I have to add.
“I think they played with their pace very well so I had to try to hit the pockets and run a bit harder so to force that with no speed on the ball was a bit difficult.
“Can’t describe it (how special it is to play for South Africa). I don’t have tissues in my pocket I get emotional about it every single time. It means a lot to play for your country and represent your country on a world stage like this so let’s hold thumbs that we go through to the semi-final.”
Kapp and Tryon guided South Africa to victory with 16 balls remaining and gave the team hope of progressing to the semi-final stage of the ongoing showpiece event.