Australia shocked in World Cup semi-finals by South Africa

Six-time winners Australia suffered a shock T20 World Cup semi-final exit as South Africa raced to an emphatic eight-wicket win in Dubai.

The defending champions missed out on their eighth appearance in the final as the Proteas reached their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare.

Anneke Bosch hit a sensational unbeaten 74 from 48 balls, while captain Laura Wolvaardt added an elegant 42 in a second-wicket partnership of 96 that left Australia reeling.

Wolvaardt later described his team’s victory as “one of the greatest victories of all time”.

The brilliantly executed chase came after South Africa’s bowlers smartly restricted Australia to 134-5 in a curiously underwhelming innings.

Grace Harris and Georgia Wareham fell early in the powerplay before debutant Beth Mooney anchored with 44 off 42 balls.

Australia paid the price for stuttering in the middle overs, with the run rate rarely exceeding one run ball as captain Tahlia McGrath advanced to 27 off 33.

Ellyse Perry’s 31 off 23 and Phoebe Litchfield’s nine-ball 16 added a late burst, but the total still looked subpar on a pitch that favored chasing, as the West Indies proved against England on Wednesday.

South Africa began the chase confidently with a powerplay of 43-1, comfortably ahead of Australia’s 35-2 at the same stage, before Tazmin Brits’s exit for 15 opened the door to a phenomenal match-winning partnership.

Bosch, whose previous score in the tournament was 25, hit eight fours and a six in his attempt to win the match.

It rewarded the faith of South Africa’s selectors who kept them in third place and meant they reached a second successive final after the 2023 home edition.

The second semi-final takes place between New Zealand and the West Indies in Sharjah on Friday, meaning Sunday’s final will be the first in the white-ball format without the involvement of Australia or England.

Reacting to the victory, South African cricket writer Firdose Moonda told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We have had an incredible 18 months of sport in South Africa.

“We are a country with very few financial resources, compared to others like Australia, for example, and we are a country that punches well above its weight, at the same time as we are one of the most diverse teams and we unify South Africa.

“Many people survive only with hope in our country and these women brought a lot of hope.”

Source: BBC