Openers and spinners lead Australia to series victory

GettyImages-1203482747
GettyImages-1203482747

The win means that Australia take the three-match series 2-1.

Having been put in to bat by Quinton de Kock, Warner and Finch got the visitors off to a storming start, taking 11 boundaries from the Powerplay, two of them maximums. They kept that momentum going and finished the 10th over with 114 runs on the board and both batsman still unbeaten having reached their fifties.

But Tabraiz Shamsi put the brakes on as he strung together the first consecutive dot balls of the innings, and Anrich Nortje capitalised on the small amount of pressure built to claim the wicket of David Warner for 57.

Shamsi then claimed a wicket of his own, trapping Finch LBW for 55 as he tried to sweep, as the pair put together a three-over stint which cost just 11 runs.

Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade each hit a six to get the innings moving again, but Lungi Ngidi and Dwaine Pretorious sent them on their way in consecutive overs to keep South Africa's fightback going, with Kagiso Rabada extending the run of wicket-taking overs to three when he bowled Alex Carey in the 19th.

Steve Smith made sure the innings ended in a bang rather than a whimper though, adding 20 runs from Nortje's final over, including two sixes, to boost the total to 193/5.

The chase began poorly for the hosts, with Quinton de Kock being dismissed in almost identical manner to the first game of the series, bowled middle stump by Mitchell Starc third ball of the innings. And the hosts fell further behind the game as Adam Zampa announced himself in the game, holding on to a spiralling outside edge from Faf du Plessis to leave the hosts two down in only the third over.

Zampa played a role in the next three wickets as well, bowling Heinrich Klaasen and Pite van Biljon either side of another fantastic piece of fielding, anticipating van der Dussen's scoop shot and coming round from short third man to take a diving catch.

David Miller and Pretorious then fell in the space of three balls, gifting a catch to cover and trapped plumb in front respectively, ending any realistic hopes left for the home side.

Ashton Agar dismissed Nortje and Ngidi with consecutive deliveries, and although Shamsi managed to keep out the hat-trick ball, next over it was all over when Rabada was pinned LBW by Starc, who finished with figures of 3/22.

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025