Proteas outclassed as Australia make statement in T20 World Cup opener

After a dominant display by Australia in which South Africa were dismantled in their opening game of the T20 World Cup on 13 June, losing by 65 runs, Proteas all-rounder Nadine de Klerk admitted it was not ideal but sees no reason the team can’t bounce back.

The six-time T20 World Cup champions, led for the first time by Sophie Molineux, clinically exploited the slow conditions at Old Trafford in Manchester with a spin-heavy attack that kept South Africa off balance from the outset.

By restricting Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s involvement and preventing any meaningful partnerships from developing, Australia ensured the Proteas never found any rhythm with the bat.

In doing so, they exposed a familiar concern for South Africa – an over-reliance on Wolvaardt to anchor the innings.

While the captain top-scored with 44 from 35, the batting order around her struggled to adapt as wickets fell regularly and what would have been a historic chase unravelled long before the finish.

In the first seven overs Australia removed Suné Luus, Annerie Dercksen and Nadine de Klerk – who along with Marizanne Kapp were the only other two batters to score double digits.

Strangely, Wolvaardt did not face the first ball and after three overs had only faced three deliveries. In that time Luus had already fallen with a leg before wicket after six balls and only one run to show for it.

Not five balls later, Dercksen became another victim of Australia’s spin trap.

For Australia, the game plan was simple: starve Wolvaardt of strike, let the spinners dictate terms and everyone can go home early.

“A bit of a frustrating innings,” Wolvaardt said after the game. “I just got stuck on the other end of it and [Australia] bowled pretty well to me later on and closed up my areas.

“I struggled to get going and by the time I went out it was already quite late, so, disappointed with that.”

The only meaningful partnership formed was between De Klerk and Wolvaardt with 41 runs, but that provided fleeting hope and once broken, the innings unravelled.

“Partnerships are key in T20 cricket,” said De Klerk in a post-match press conference. “Once you keep on losing wickets, you’re just on the back foot all the time, and that was just the only thing today – we couldn’t really string any partnerships together.”

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the batting order.

De Klerk, normally a powerhouse finisher, found herself batting at number four and the quick fall of wickets saw her come in a lot earlier than expected.

“I’m not sure why I was there,” said De Klerk. “It’s a bit of a new role, but I really enjoyed my time out in the middle today.

“It is a bit strange and something that I haven’t done a lot of in the past, but it’s a team sport at the end of the day, and I’m happy to do whatever the team needs of me.”

Positive takeaways from the bowling

Before the collapse with the bat South Africa’s bowlers had produced an encouraging performance, combining pace and spin to keep Australia under pressure throughout the first innings.

After electing to bat first, Australia also endured a shaky start as Kapp wasted no time with a first-over wicket.

Kapp was reunited with her old new-ball partner, Shabnim Ismail, who also announced her return to international cricket by removing the dangerous Beth Mooney soon after.

These early breakthroughs restricted Australia to just 14 runs after three overs.

However, the innings was a bit like a see-saw as momentum repeatedly shifted between the two sides. Australia wrestled back control through Phoebe Litchfield, whose blistering 23-ball half-century changed the tempo of the match.

A 58-run partnership between Ellyse Perry and Georgia Wareham further pushed Australia in a commanding position.

South Africa found ways to halt their progress. Ayabonga Khaka (2/33) claimed the crucial wicket of Litchfield, Nadine de Klerk (2/35) broke the Perry-Wareham partnership, and Nonkululeko Mlaba’s (2/22) slow-ball variation removed Perry.

But the damage was already done. Australia managed a run rate above eight throughout and consistently pierced the field for boundaries.

In the death, the team from Down Under scored 35 runs off the last four overs, benefiting from poor fielding by the South Africans, which has long been their weakness.

Besides Wolvaardt, who took a trio of excellent catches, the Proteas were not consistent, with Chloe Tryon and Luus dropping catches and a couple misses on the ground.

The Proteas campaign is far from over though, but the defeat does put them under pressure, with clashes against India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Netherlands still to come.

“We’re obviously going to bounce back from this loss and we’re going to take the learnings and come back strong and be really positive against Pakistan,” said De Klerk. “We know they’re going to bowl a lot of spin and I think we just need to be brave and take it on.” DM