The rain tried to steal the show in Colombo but it could not overshadow South Africa.
Wolvaardt’s side have shown themselves to be unstoppable when batting second at this tournament, chasing 232 and a DLS-adjusted 121 with ease against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and flexing their batting depth with resilient comeback victories over Bangladesh and India.
Their one experience of setting a target, however, did not go to plan. Put into bat in their tournament opener against England, they lost five powerplay wickets before being bundled out for 69 – their third-lowest total in a women’s ODI.
But with a spot in the semi-finals already assured, captain Wolvaardt was unperturbed at being asked to bat first in Colombo, hailing the opportunity to “test ourselves” and put the England disappointment behind them. The message from head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, Luus revealed, was for the batters to “go out and express yourself”. South Africa did both with aplomb.
Both Luus and Wolvaardt batted with intent, the former sweeping for fun and the captain using her exquisite timing to pick off boundaries. Kapp, who reached 50 off 37 deliveries, used her experience to anchor the final 10 overs. Combined, the trio have scored seven half-centuries at this tournament.
Chloe Tryon contributed a cameo 21 before De Klerk’s fireworks. The all-rounder, who scored a well-constructed unbeaten 84 against India earlier in the tournament, showcased her finisher abilities, smashing seven boundaries in 16 deliveries as South Africa scored 102 runs in the final 10 overs.
There are a couple of question marks in South Africa’s batting line-up – Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta and Anneke Bosch have all struggled for runs in the middle order – and Pakistan were sloppy in the field, dropping a couple of catches and displaying poor ground fielding in the deep.
But with batting mishap against England firmly behind them and several players in free-scoring form, confidence will be high for their final group match against Australia.
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