Australia Women vs South Africa Women, 1st Semi Final - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

A glorious day for South African cricket and women's cricket in particular as they have knocked the great Australian side out of this World Cup. Just one more game awaits them and their tryst with destiny. We saw the men's side fall short in the final against India, will this women's side go one better? We will have to wait and watch. The second semi-final is between New Zealand and West Indies and we will be there nice and early to bring you all the action. On that note we sign off from here. Do join us tomorrow for semi-final two. Until then take care, be well and sleep tight. Bye.

Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa Women captain: [on where does this win rank in her career] I think it is right up there, it is one of the best wins of my cricketing career for sure. Couple of other girls said it as well. Such an amazing chase, Anneke batted superbly. It has been a good year for us, really collective group effort, we maybe analysed a bit more about the other teams, glad some of the plans worked and I thought the bowlers bowled excellently to restrict them. We did not have the best two overs at the start of the game, and Taz and I had a chat and we needed to put the foot down and Anneke played her role brilliantly as well, gave us the kick. One of the best of her career and what a time to bring it up. [on whom she prefers in the final, West Indies or New Zealand] I really don't know, both sides are destructive on their day, West Indies look like favorites right now but you can't discount Amelia Kerr and co. [on the crowd support] Nice crowd and lots of South Africans in there.

Tahlia McGrath | Australia Women captain: It's going to be pretty hard to take. We just didn't really show up tonight. You can't afford to do that in tournaments like this. Full credit to South Africa, they outplayed us tonight. We have had this World Cup in our minds for a very long time now. We worked really hard over the off-season, fine-tuning some things. We really were prepped coming into here. Felt like we left no stone unturned. Just didn't show up on the night. [on their batting innings] We found it quite tricky, South Africa bowled quite well, took the pace off and they made it tough for us to take risks, at the halfway stage, felt 140-150 was par but South Africa batted so well and made it look like it was a totally different wicket. [on their bowling plans] We were trying to keep it really simple on that wicket and we couldn't execute and got punished, we kept saying a couple of overs and a couple of wickets, so that we could wrestle the momentum back but we could not do it. Schutt has been huge for us this tournament, she leads from the front, takes poles for fun and the youngsters, Phoebs and Bells are coming through, so we have a really good future. We have got a really big summer to finish first. There is always something next on the calendar.

Australia Women’s defeats in Women’s T20 WC knockouts
By 8 wickets vs ENG-W, The Oval, 2009 SF
By 8 wickets vs WI-W, Kolkata, 2016 Final
By 8 wickets vs SA-W, Dubai, 2024 SF

Australia Women’s streak of 15 consecutive wins in the Women’s T20 World Cup has been broken, no other team has won more than seven back-to-back games in the competition’s history.

Australia’s last defeat in Women’s T20Is was also against South Africa - in Canberra in January; they’d won 11 straight games thereafter.

Consecutive 40-plus scores in Women’s T20 WC knockouts
4* - Laura Wolvaardt (2020-2024)
4* - Beth Mooney (2020-2024)
3 - Meg Lanning (2014-2016)

Highest targets successfully chased by SA-W in Women’s T20 WC
135 vs AUS-W, Dubai, 2024
124 vs ENG-W, Perth, 2020
119 vs WI-W, Dubai, 2024
115 vs NZ-W, Sylhet, 2014
114 vs BAN-W, Cape Town, 2023

Highest partnerships vs AUS-W in Women’s T20 WC
122* - Beth Morgan & Claire Taylor (ENG-W), The Oval, 2009
120 - Hayley Matthews & Stefanie Taylor (WI-W), Kolkata, 2016
118* - Suzie Bates & Aimee Watkins (NZ-W), Tanton, 2009
96 - Laura Wolvaardt & Anneke Bosch (SA-W), Dubai, 2024
*All came in successful run-chases

Highest individual scores for SA-W in Women’s T20 WC
101 - Lizelle Lee vs THA-W, Canberra, 2020
90* - Dane van Niekerk vs PAK-W, Sylhet, 2014
74* - Anneke Bosch vs AUS-W, Dubai, 2024 SF
68 - Tazmin Brits vs ENG-W, Cape Town, 2023 SF
67* - Lizelle Lee vs PAK-W, Sylhet, 2014

Bosch’s 74* is also the highest individual score at the Women’s T20 WC 2024 so far.

Anneke Bosch | Player of the Match: My heart is racing a lot, it was tough out there, glad we got past the line. I'm happy to have contributed some runs. Just keep scoring those runs, play with the conditions around and stick to what you do best (on the chat with Wolvaardt). His speeches before the game helps us focus on the game (On Paul Adams, the coach). It means a lot, can't really describe, we knew we were capable, had a pretty good tournament coming into the game. Our bats, Taz (Brits) and Laura (Wolvaardt) have been incredible, the bowlers have been superb right through the tournament and to restrict them for under 140 tonight was outstanding. Thanks to all the support from our fans, we had plenty of them last time around (when they hosted the tournament in 2023), but they've stood by us and keep supporting us going ahead to the final.

20:49 Local Time, 16:49 GMT, 22:19 IST: This is a red-letter day in Women's cricketing annals. Consider this: Since 2009, there have been 7 T20 World Cups and Australia has won 6 of them and lost in the final in the other. So this achievement from South Africa is something that has to be written in bold and capital letters. Look at the emotions from some of the members in the South African camp. Mlaba is in tears and she is enveloped in a big hug as she is lifted by captain Wolvaardt for a good 20-25 seconds. It means so much to them. Coming back to the chase - what a time and moment to do this, South Africa had never beaten Australia before in a World Cup game in this format and also the 96-run stand between Bosch and Wolvaardt was their highest for any wicket against Australia in T20Is. Records tumbled today as South Africa slayed one of the most dominating teams ever in any sport. And they did it with such ease too. 16 balls were left in a chase of 135 and Australia at the end were well beaten. Wolvaardt and Brits set the tone before the partnership for the 2nd wicket shut all avenues for Australia. There was intent, aggression and great strokemaking especially from Bosch who played the innings of her life. The duo gave Australia no chances of a comeback and the late wicket of Wolvaardt's was just scant consolation for Australia. Special day in South African cricket history. Stay tuned for the presentation...

Schutt to Bosch, FOUR, South Africa and Bosch have done it. They have knocked the mighty mighty Australia out of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024. Ecstatic are the Proteas while Healy and the Australians wear a glum look on their faces. Fittingly Bosch finishes it off, a juicy full-toss on off and middle, swung away between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket, the latter can't get there and the celebrations begin in the South African camp

Schutt to Bosch, no run, short of length just outside off, cut to point

Megan Schutt [3.0-0-21-0] is back into the attack

Sutherland to Bosch, 1 run, a low full-toss outside off, Bosch drives to extra-cover, a quick single taken

Sutherland to Bosch, no run, very full just outside off, drilled back at Sutherland who palms it down with her right hand

Sutherland to Chloe Tryon, 1 run, the slower-ball on a length outside off, slogged to deep mid-wicket

Sutherland to Bosch, 1 run, short of length and just outside off, pulled to deep mid-wicket

Sutherland to Bosch, FOUR, the target is down to single figures now. A slower-ball, full outside off, Bosch gets forward and drives wide of the diving cover, mid-off is inside and can't track it down

Sutherland to Bosch, no run, good yorker length delivery on the stumps, Bosch was looking for a big hit but then makes room and digs it out

Molineux to Chloe Tryon, no run, into the pads, yorker length and Chloe Tryon digs it out to her left, no chance of a run there as Mooney gets across

Molineux to Chloe Tryon, no run, fired full on off, Chloe Tryon looks for a big sweep, looks like she got a big inside-edge, replays confirm a big edge, even Molineux gestured that there was bat to Mooney

Molineux to Chloe Tryon, no run, tossed up full on off, Chloe Tryon gets forward to drive to mid-off

Molineux to Bosch, 1 run, slower and tossed up outside off, Bosch fetches the sweep from there and hits it aerially but it's on the bounce to deep mid-wicket

Molineux to Bosch, 2 runs, fired full and just outside the leg stump, Bosch sinks low to sweep and finds fine-leg, they take on Wareham and come back for the 2nd, well-run