Kapp leads ruthless Proteas bowling display but spin remains SA’s Achilles heel

When Marizanne Kapp delivered the first ball of the game against Pakistan, a length delivery around leg stump that struck the batter on the pads, she shouted in appeal. After skipper Laura Wolvaardt opted for a review, the wicket was given.

It was a statement delivery on the very first ball against Pakistan in South Africa’s second T20 World Cup match at Edgbaston on 17 June.

Yet, the very last ball of the match saw the Proteas needing one run to win, with eight wickets down in pursuit of 127. Victory came via a wide, perfectly encapsulating how the match panned out: near-misses from Pakistan and SA creating unnecessary pressure for themselves with the bat.

But, SA survived the scrappy encounter thanks largely to Kapp’s masterclass with the ball and Annerie Dercksen’s powerful maiden World Cup half-century. Still, the team put on a relatively wretched display chasing a modest total, and their misfirings against spin have become deeply concerning.

“Points in the bag is all that matters today,” said Wolvaardt after the match. “A little scratchy and not the way we would have liked this game to pan out, but still a lot of positives to take.”

A pace barrage

It started off brilliantly for the Proteas. Kapp, with a firepower in her eyes and the disappointment of the Australia defeat still fresh, struck three times in her opening two overs while conceding just nine runs.

After being comprehensively outplayed by Australia on 13 June, SA’s bowlers arrived with a point to prove, and Kapp orchestrated an inspired bowling attack. Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka supported the pace barrage, each picking up a wicket.

By the end of the Powerplay, Pakistan found themselves languishing at 29 for five. Completely pinned down by relentless pressure, they struggled to recover from the initial shock. The pressure further manifested in three avoidable run-outs as the Asian side unravelled.

When Pakistan slumped to 50 for eight in the 11th over, SA appeared poised to wrap up the innings quickly.

But the frontline seamers were largely through their spells, so Wolvaardt turned to her spin options. On a slow surface, however, the Proteas failed to find that breakthrough until the final over, when Ismail claimed a wicket, begging the question: Why not have her play her final over sooner?

In the meantime, the reprieve allowed Pakistan to regroup.

A resilient ninth-wicket partnership of 71 between skipper Fatima Sana and Tuba Hassan provided a critical lifeline for Pakistan, pushing the team toward the 120-mark ensuring their bowlers had something to fight for.

Sana almost single-handedly denied SA those crucial two points. She rescued Pakistan from a seemingly hopeless position with an unbeaten 38-ball 55 before producing an outstanding spell with the ball, taking three wickets while conceding just 16 runs.

Achilles heel

But it was not Sana who got Player of the Match, it was 25-year-old Dercksen. The all-rounder recorded her first World Cup half-century and only the second 50 of her international career.

She was arguably the turning point for SA, especially in the fifth over when she smacked three boundaries and one six, transforming a sluggish start of 20 for one after four overs into a competitive 41 for one after five.

Dercksen eventually departed after a critical 35-ball 52.

“I said to the team, I’m probably going to die 30 years before I should because we have a knack of doing this,” Dercksen joked after the game. “But the main thing is that we ended up on the right side.

“We’ve done it a couple of times in World Cups now, so credit to the team, credit to the people coming in and pulling that game through for us, because I think at one stage those odds were probably stacked against us a little.”

Indeed, it has become increasingly clear that spin remains SA’s Achilles Heel, and Pakistan bowled 16 overs of it.

Although Dercksen and Nadine de Klerk, who made a valuable 37 from 28, managed to get SA over the line, there were moments when another collapse seemed entirely possible.

After Sana’s empowering batting display, Pakistan walked into the second innings with renewed belief. They had seen how Australia’s spinners unsettled SA, and sought to replicate that.

And it worked as they claimed the early wickets of Suné Luus for five and Wolvaardt for eight. The Proteas captain celebrated her 100th T20 International appearance, but she is still searching for her best form at this World Cup.

Outside of Dercksen and De Klerk, SA’s third-highest scorer was Kapp with just 10 runs.

Even so, Dercksen dismissed suggestions that the difficult chase should cause alarm.

“I wouldn’t say [it is a concern],” she said. “I think I’m more proud of the fact that we were able to pull that through.

“The win is crucial. We’re well aware that every game now is sort of do or die for us. We’re just looking forward to the next one now and very happy that we could maybe get some momentum going into it.”

SA were also aided by Pakistan’s own errors. Pakistan dropped three catches, two of which their skipper dropped, had several mis-traps in the field and often lacked support or cover in the ring. While they had the spin, Pakistan erred in length, allowing SA to capitalise.

But when it comes to India, who are unlikely to make these mistakes, SA may be in trouble.

If they are unable to find answers against spin, their hopes of reaching the semi-finals could be in serious jeopardy. SA need a victory over India, and potentially some assistance from Australia, to avoid an earlier-than-expected exit.

The Proteas play India on Sunday, 21 June at 3.30pm SA time. DM