South Africa 119 for 0 (Wolvaardt 59*, Brits 57*) beat West Indies 118 for 6 (Taylor 44*, Mlaba 4-29, Kapp 2-14) by 10 wickets
T20 Women’s World Cup In a straightforward victory, South Africa comfortably defeated the West Indies in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai. Nonkululeko Mlaba, South Africa’s left-arm spinner, was the star with the ball, taking key wickets and dismantling the West Indies’ top seven batters. The West Indies struggled throughout their innings, with Stafanie Taylor standing out as their top scorer, managing 44 runs from 41 balls. However, their overall score was too low to challenge South Africa.
South Africa’s opening batters, Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, each made fifties, helping their team chase down the target with ease. They finished the match with 13 balls to spare, making the chase look effortless and ensuring a smooth start to their World Cup campaign.
Mlaba takes out the middle
Nonkululeko Mlaba made an early impact during the powerplay, taking out Qiana Joseph, who struggled to score and was bowled for just 4 runs from 14 balls. Mlaba’s delivery was fast and accurate, hitting the off stump and ending Joseph’s tough innings.
Mlaba did most of her damage later in the middle overs, as West Indies struggled to build a decent total. She maintained tight, disciplined bowling, and her quicker deliveries were particularly threatening. In the 12th over, Mlaba bowled Shemaine Campbelle off her thigh pad, then followed it up immediately by slowing the ball down and getting Chinelle Henry caught behind on the next delivery, further weakening the West Indies’ position.
Nonkululeko Mlaba struck twice in two balls in the 12th over In her final over, the 16th of the innings, Nonkululeko Mlaba continued to dominate. She got Aaliyah Alleyne out with an offside slash that Alleyne failed to keep down, resulting in a stunning diving catch by Tazmin Brits. Mlaba wrapped up her four-over spell with impressive figures of 4 wickets for 29 runs. Despite her brilliant performance, she only conceded two boundaries—one four to Deandra Dottin and a six to Stafanie Taylor. However, she also bowled five wides down the leg side when she was on a hat-trick, a rare misstep in an otherwise excellent bowling display.
South Africa’s openers boss it
Both Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits started South Africa’s chase strongly, hitting commanding boundaries in the first over bowled by Chinelle Henry. While Brits played more conservatively during the powerplay, Wolvaardt was aggressive, especially through the leg side, racing to 29 runs off 20 balls by the end of the powerplay. Brits, meanwhile, was more measured, scoring 12 runs off 16 deliveries during the same period.
With the required run rate dropping to around 5.5 per over, the pair played smart, risk-free cricket through the middle overs. They steadily accumulated runs without taking unnecessary risks. Wolvaardt had a moment of luck when she was dropped on 33 by Karishma Ramharack, who missed a difficult return catch. However, apart from that, South Africa’s progress was smooth and under control as they comfortably headed toward victory.
South Africa’s openers reached 100 runs early in the 15th over, with Laura Wolvaardt bringing up her fifty from 45 balls. Tazmin Brits followed shortly after, also reaching her half-century from 45 deliveries. Since the powerplay, Brits had added four more boundaries to her tally. Throughout the innings, the West Indies bowlers struggled to challenge or pressure either batter, allowing Wolvaardt and Brits to take control and guide South Africa comfortably towards victory.
