On Sunday, Australia claimed their sixth Women's T20 World Cup victory by defeating South Africa by 19 runs in the final at Newlands. The Australian innings was anchored by opening batter Beth Mooney, who scored an unbeaten 74 runs out of a total of 156 for six. South Africa, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with the required run rate and were restricted to 137 for six despite opener Laura Wolvaardt's 61 off 48 balls.
Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits struggled to find gaps in the field and scored only 17 runs before Brits was caught at mid-on off Darcie Brown on the last ball of the fifth over. Marizanne Kapp hit two boundaries but was dismissed for 11, and South Africa captain Sune Luus was run out for two. At that point, the home team needed another 103 runs off 56 balls.
Although Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon's attacking fourth-wicket partnership of 55 off 37 balls gave the near-capacity crowd of about 15,000 hope, the match was effectively over when Wolvaardt was given out leg before wicket to Megan Schutt in the 17th over. Mooney played a composed innings, scoring her 74 runs off 53 balls while her partners batted aggressively.
Ash Gardner and Grace Harris both batted ahead of captain Meg Lanning and were seemingly instructed to go for their shots. South Africa's bowlers performed consistently and were supported by enthusiastic fielding. Key players Shabnim Ismail and Kapp each took two wickets. However, Australia's athleticism and commitment in defending their total put constant pressure on the South African batters, demonstrating their quality in the tournament.
