DOMINANT SOUTH AFRICA ELIMINATE SCOTLAND FROM ICC WOMEN'S T20 WORLD CUP
A dominant performance from South Africa consigned Scotland to a third defeat in a row and elimination from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, as the 2023 finalists won by 80 runs in Dubai.
South Africa posted the highest score so far at the competition, as Tazmin Brits (43), Marizanne Kapp (43) and Laura Wolvaardt (40) all made significant contributions to guide their side to 166-5, a total that proved out of reach for Scotland as they were dismissed for 86.
Reflecting on the defeat, Priyanaz Chatterji said: "It was a pretty convincing win for South Africa in the end, I thought that they batted well and bowled well, and I think this is the challenge for us, we're at the next level now and we need to go away from these games and take the learnings.
"We're a resilient group, and that (losing) is part of cricket, it's part of high performance sport, and I think the best teams go away, and learn, and move forward. It's always disappointing to lose, and to lose like that isn't fun, but I thought they did play very well."
It should have been a perfect start for Scotland as Wolvaardt gave up a chance from Kathryn Bryce's first ball, striking a full toss to Katherine Fraser at mid-off, who couldn’t cling on low down.
The South African skipper immediately made Scotland pay, flashing the next delivery through the offside for four.
Wolvaardt continued to take the positive approach, shimmying down the track and striking Olivia Bell straight for six, before doing the same again for four.
South Africa flew to 60 inside the powerplay, but Fraser hit back with the ball to remove Wolvaardt for a 27-ball 40, caught superbly by Bell in the ring, moving sharply to her left.
Just 10 runs were added in the three overs following the powerplay, but Tazmin Brits broke the shackles as she thumped Fraser over long-on for the second six of the innings.
Darcey Carter made the breakthrough with her first ball, Anneke Bosch (11) picking out a back-peddling Kathryn Bryce in the ring.
Brits and Marizanne Kapp took their side to 119, when the former perished for 43, caught on the long-off boundary by Kathryn Bryce off the bowling of Bell.
Kapp began to find the boundary with regularity, flying to 43 from just 24 deliveries before she fell to Kathryn Bryce, caught on the offside in the ring by Carter.
With South Africa having reached 160, Rachel Slater struck with her final delivery, the final ball of the penultimate over, as Chloe Tryon holed out to Saskia Horley at long-on.
Only six came from the final over, bowled by Kathryn Bryce, despite Sune Luus (18*) striking the first ball for four, as South Africa finished on an imposing 166-5.
Scotland’s pursuit of the highest total set in this World Cup so far started brightly, as Sarah Bryce swivelled and pulled Kapp away to the boundary in the opening over.
However, she fell to Tryon, gifting the left-arm spinner a simple caught and bowled chance as she looked to work the ball through the leg-side.
Horley (6) fell in the following over, caught low down by Brits at cover off Ayabonga Khaka, as Scotland slipped to 16-2.
Kathryn Bryce and Ailsa Lister both found the boundary as they looked to get the innings moving, but Tryon did for Bryce in the same way she did her sister, as the Scotland skipper fell for seven.
Lister thumped Nonkululeko Mlaba for four through the offside, but departed three balls later, bowled as she looked to advance down the track.
Scotland lost three wickets for seven runs as they were reduced to 45-6, Chatterji (4) and Carter (0) both following Lister.
Lorna Jack-Brown and Fraser steadied things somewhat, adding 11 for the seventh wicket, but Jack-Brown came undone as Luus took a superb return catch diving full stretch to her left.
Slater started off in style, dispatching Luus away to the leg-side boundary off her second and third balls faced.
But she then fell to Annerie Dercksen, caught at cover by Wolvaardt as she looked to hit over the offside.
Fraser and Abtaha Maqsood added 15 for the ninth wicket, but Fraser (14) was dismissed by Mlaba, and Maqsood (8) by de Klerk, as Scotland were bowled out for 86.