Brits, Mlaba power South Africa’s women to win over New Zealand

Nonkululeko Mlaba with the ball, and Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus with the bat, powered South Africa’s women to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in their ICC World Cup match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Monday.

Mlaba claimed 4/40, her second best return in ODIs, as South Africa restricted New Zealand to a modest 231 all out in 47.5 overs, while Brits slammed a brilliant century and shared a second-wicket partnership of 159 in 170 balls – the biggest for any wicket for South Africa in ODI world cups – with Sune Luus (83*) as South Africa reached their target in 40.5 overs.

It was a fitting response by Laura Wolvaardt’s team after their dismal 10-wicket defeat at the hands of England on Friday when they were dismissed for 69. Indeed, this win relegated that performance to the status of a passing nightmare, quickly forgotten.

Brits, who struck 15 fours and a six in her 89-ball 101, played with power and precision to dominate the New Zealand attack. She has enjoyed a phenomenal year, being the first batter to strike five centuries in a calendar year in WODIs. She and Luus were in complete command after New Zealand felt they had opened the door a touch with the relatively early dismissal of Wolvaardt, leg before to medium-pacer Jess Kerr to a delivery that hooped in.

Brits, who struck the ball with a ferocity that was eye-opening, scored all round the ground with a succession of drives and blows through her favoured on-side. Luus was happy to play second fiddle but still scored freely and was there at the end of the innings after Brits was bowled attempting to improve South Africa’s net run rate followed by the early dismissals of Kapp and Anneke Bosch to a couple of intemperate shots. In the end Luus finished unbeaten on 83 in 114 balls, including 10 fours and a six.

Earlier, New Zealand opted to bat first after winning the toss in a match that both sides were desperate to win following South Africa’s dismal defeat at the hands of England and the White Ferns’ loss to world champions Australia.

Wolvaardt was understandably delighted with the result. “It was such an amazing turnaround. This is what we knew we were capable of. Mlaba was amazing (with the ball). Brits has been phenomenal this year and I hope she can keep doing it. Our fielding was one of our better performances. (On her catch) Just lucky it stuck. We’ll enjoy the win tonight but we need to forget about this as well as cricket starts at zero.”

South Africa’s star left-arm spinner attacked the stumps throughout and hardly bowled a bad ball as she led a superb South African charge in the second half of the New Zealand innings. After reaching 187/3 in 38 overs, the White Ferns collapsed, losing their last seven wickets for 44 runs.

The spinner captured the key wickets of New Zealand captain Sophie Devine (85) and Brooke Halliday (45) who added a brisk 86 in 75 balls for the fourth wicket and had threatened a total in excess of 250.

In addition to their disciplined bowling display, South Africa were excellent in the outfield with Wolvaardt pulling off a remarkable one-handed diving catch at extra-cover and Anneke Bosch also completing a fine diving catch at backward point. In addition to solid catching, South Africa also saved a number of runs in the outfield with diving stops.

The Proteas got off to the best possible start when Marizanne Kapp dismissed top New Zealand opener Suzie Bates with the first ball of the match, trapping her leg before as she hit across the line to a straight delivery. Her second duck in a row, it was not a dismissal that Bates will remember fondly in her 350th international match for her country.

Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr struggled to gain momentum with the former particularly slow as they crawled to 38 in the first powerplay. They added just 44 in 81 balls for the second wicket before a frustrated Kerr top-edged a swing that ballooned to Sune Luus at extra-cover who took a nice diving catch after initially misjudging the flight of the ball.

Skipper Sophie Devine, fresh from a century in a losing cause against Australia, looked in excellent nick from the first ball and she dominated a partnership of 57 in 76 balls with Plimmer. The opener (31 off 68 balls) finally went when she drove left-arm spinner Chloe Tryon to long-on where Nadine de Klerk took a good catch.

There followed New Zealand’s best period in the innings as left-hander Brooke Halliday played with refreshing aggression to slam six fours in her 37-ball 45 as she and Devine threatened to take the match away from South Africa.

But when Halliday top-edged a drive back to Mlaba, with the pair having added 86 in 75 balls for the fourth wicket, the New Zealand innings crumbled as Mlaba instigated the collapse. Perhaps her best moment was when she completely deceived Devine with her cunning flight, the ball deflecting off her pad onto her stumps when she had reached an excellent 85 in 98 balls, including nine superbly struck boundaries.

Thereafter it was the Mlaba show with Wolvaardt’s stunning catch disposing of Lea Tahuhu as South Africa ran through the New Zealand tail.

NEW ZEALAND: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (capt), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Bree Illing

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba