Match 3: Australia v South Africa

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 Rob Harvey 26 Views

Australia Does What Australia Does

Cool, calm and collected. Clinical. The Australians brushed aside any potential nightmares from losing the World Cup semi final to South Africa in 2024 and loaded up a more recent nightmare for the opposition: they packed the team with every available spin bowler, including two leggies. It proved decisive.

Sophie Molineux won the toss for Australia and chose to bat first at Old Trafford on an afternoon that was much more pleasant than it was for the earlier game between Ireland and Scotland.

The decision seemed to backfire initially, with Marizanne Kapp removing Georgia Voll with the fourth ball of the innings. It got worse with the dismissal of Beth Mooney (7), leaving Australia teetering in the Powerplay at 24/2.

Then it was 61/3. Phoebe Litchfield, batting at three, using her usual array of innovative stroke play, was dismissed for exactly 50. It was an innings that not only kept Australia’s momentum moving forwards, but it also had the South Africans wondering just where to bowl at this live-wire.

Ellyse Perry continued the onslaught with 36 in good time. The Aussies lost Ash Gardner early but kept the foot on the pedal through Georgia Wareham (32) and Annabel Sutherland to register a competitive total of 172/8. Wickets were shared among the South African bowlers but they all struggled to do one thing: bowl economically, with every bowler going 7+ per over save for Nonkululeko Mlaba (2-22) who went for just 5.50 per over.

Molineux removed Sune Luus in the first over, then Kim Garth dismissed Annerie Dercksen in the second. South Africa were 7/2 and going nowhere. Laura Wolvaardt (44) kept the innings alive and there was a good contribution from Nadine de Klerk (25) but it never really got going. Once Molineux removed her opposite number to leave South Africa 96/5 in the 14th over, the lower order collapsed to be all out 11 runs later.

The leg spin of Georgia Wareham (3-13) and Alana King (2-26) combined with the skipper’s left-arm slow bowling (2-17) destroyed the South African batting line-up. They had nightmares the last time these teams met (ODI World Cup 2025) and the horror continues, but the good news is that they bounced back from that episode spectacularly to play in the final of that tournament, so they have something to fall back on as they recover from this set back.

Georgia Wareham‘s 32 runs, 3-13 with the ball, a catch and a runout was a good day in the park for the leggie who collected the Player of the Match award.