By Levy Masiteng
South Africa secured a crucial six-wicket victory over India in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup clash at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday, chasing down 159 to finish on 161/4 in 19.1 overs.
India managed to secure 158/7 from their 20 overs.
The Proteas produced a determined all-round performance to claim two valuable points in a thrilling contest that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout.
Marizanne Kapp was the standout performer for South Africa and deservedly earned the Player of the Match award following a magnificent all-round display.
The experienced all-rounder first impressed with the ball, returning figures of 2/27, before anchoring the run chase with an unbeaten 81 off just 45 deliveries.
Her innings proved decisive as South Africa successfully hunted down the target with five balls to spare.
Kapp received good support from Tazmin Brits, who contributed 40 runs, while Chloe Tryon helped finish the job late in the innings.
Earlier, India’s batting effort was led by Shafali Verma’s quick-fire 31 and Deepti Sharma’s 29, but South Africa’s bowlers kept the scoring under control during key phases of the innings.
The victory keeps South Africa firmly in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages of the tournament and boosts their confidence ahead of their remaining group fixtures.
The Proteas Women will next be in action against the Netherlands at the Bristol County Ground in Bristol on Thursday.
