Australia’s spinners choke Proteas team into defeat

THE Proteas Women’s team’s failure to execute the basics cost them dearly in their ICC T20 Women's World Cup opener against Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester yesterday.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS

Age-old problems reared their ugly heads at the most inopportune time.

The fielding was once again indifferent, which allowed Australia to post 172/8—comfortably 30 runs more than the 2023 T20 World Champions should have mustered.

And then a shuffled batting line-up, with all-rounders Annerie Dercksen and Nadine de Klerk occupying the crucial No. 3 and No. 4 positions, only led to a confusion of role clarity, which, against the high-quality spin that Australia possessed, was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

So it proved, as the Proteas were bundled out for 107, slumping to a 65-run defeat, which could have greater consequences further down the line with their net run rate also plummeting.

Australia’s quartet of spinners claimed nine of the Proteas’ wickets as the batting unit proved inept at rotating the strike.

This resulted in captain Laura Wolvaardt facing a limited number of balls in the Powerplay, which severely disrupted the skipper’s momentum at the crease.