Sensational Kapp leads Proteas to historic victory

Cricket

─── MORGAN PIEK 15:00 Wed, 07 Feb 2024

Marizanne Kapp - Cricinfo

“I can’t heap enough praise on Marizanne Kapp, we are lucky to have a player with all that skill. But I am happy with our seamers, we hit our lengths early under lights. With the series on the line, we are excited to get going on Saturday.”

The Proteas Women claimed an historic 84-run win against Australia at the North Sydney Oval to level the three-match One-Day International series on Wednesday.

This comes after a heavy 8-wicket defeat on Saturday at the Adelaide Oval in the first One-Day International.

South Africa beat Australia for the first time ever in the 50-over format to keep the series alive and this victory will give the teams a lot of belief going forward.

South Africa had a bat first in the rain-shortened game and managed to score 229/ in their 46-overs.

The allrounder Marizanne Kapp scored 75-runs off 87 balls, while Anneke Bosch scored 44 off 46.

At the backend on the innings the vice-captain Chloe Tryon chipped in with a fine 37 of 36.

The Australians used no less than eight bowlers, but it was the seamer, Megan Schutt, who returned the best figures with 2/35 in 8-overs, while Ash Gardener all took two wickets.

Kapp got South Africa off to a near perfect start by removing the captain Alyssa Healy for 4, Phoebe Litchfield for 14 and Beth Mooney for a duck. Kapp, who was still carrying a bit of an injury following a blow on the elbow in Adelaide, only bowled five overs, but she took 3/12.

Eliz-Mari Marx was excellent in her 7 overs with 2/22, while Nadine de Klerk took 2/26 in 4 overs and Tryon took 1/14 in 4.3 overs. The debutant, Ayanda Hlubi, started her ODI career with 2/41 in 6-overs.

Gardener gave Australia hope with the bat with a hard-fought 35-runs and she along with Kim Garth, who scored 42 not out, put on a 77-run partnership for the 9th wicket to frustrate the South Africans.

Ultimately the damage was done upfront and the hosts were bowled out for 149-runs in 29.3 overs.

“I can’t heap enough praise on Marizanne Kapp, we are lucky to have a player with all that skill,” said the captain, Laura Wolvaardt.

“But I am happy with our seamers, we hit our lengths early under lights. With the series on the line, we are excited to get going on Saturday.”

The series deciding third One-Day International will be played on Saturday in Sydney.