South Africa stun Australia; Anneke Bosch leads the way

South Africa pulled the rabbit out of the hat and stunned six-time champions Australia in the first semi-final match of T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday (September 17) in Dubai. The last edition's hosts finally got to avenge the heartbreak they experienced against Australia in last year's final.  

Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and sent the Aussies out to bat first. The Proteas got the first breakthrough instantly with Ayabonga Khaka removing Grace Harris from the crease in the second over. Another wicket befell Austrlia in the next over as Marizanne Kapp trapped Georgia Wareham with an edge and dismissed her. 

Australia's shaky start ended with 35 runs at the end of the power play. The defending champions aimed to take charge in the middle overs, but that didn't turn out to be successful either. Beth Mooney and skipper Tahlia McGrath could not manage to put runs on the board at a competitive run rate, with latter departing for 27 runs off 33 balls, thanks to the in-form Nonkululeko Mlaba. 

Mooney was run out by Kapp as the death overs approached. Ellyse Perry scored 31 runs off 23 balls before becoming Khaka's second victim, and Phoebe Litchfield's cameo turned out to be the silver lining for Australia. The Proteas were handed the target of 135 runs. 

South Africa started off better than the Australians did, but Annabel Sutherland interrupted it by getting rid of Tazmin Brits. The chasing side registered 43 runs in the first six overs. Anneke Bosch arrived at the wicket after Brits' dismissal and turned out to play the most memorable knock of her life. Wolvaardt provided optimal support to Bosch by anchoring the innings while the latter took charge of the Australian bowling unit.

Bosch commenced her innings normally and only shifted gears in the middle overs. She targetted Wareham and Ash Gardner and reached her half-century in just 31 balls. Sutherland got her second wicket by dismissing Wolvaardt, but it was too late as South Africa had almost edged towards the total by that time. Bosch scored the winning runs by smashing a boundary, finishing things off in style and sending the Proteas to their second straight T20 World Cup final. She was the undisputed Player of the Match. 

This is the first time Australia will miss out on the final since the tournament's inaugural edition back in 2009 which saw England and New Zealand facing off against each other in the final. South Africa have a chance to seal their first-ever T20 World Cup title on Sunday (October 20). Their opposition for the occasion will be decided on Friday (October 18) as West Indies clash against New Zealand.

Brief scores: Australia 134/5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 44, Ellyse Perry 31; Ayabonga Khaka 2/24) lost to South Africa 135/2 in 17.2 overs (Anneke Bosch 74*, Laura Wolvaardt 42; Annabel Sutherland 2/26) by 8 wickets. POTM: Anneke Bosch