Sports
McGrath fires Australia to comprehensive win over hosts
Tahlia McGrath’s blistering 57 completed a perfect run through the group stages of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 for Australia as they beat hosts, South Africa by six wickets in Gqeberha.
Coming to the crease with the defending champions under a little bit of pressure chasing South Africa’s 124 for six, McGrath showed no nerves as she and Ashleigh Gardner added 81 runs to take them to the brink.
While McGrath did fall at the death, the job was done by that point, and Australia finished off the comfortable win. Australia have now won four from four to finish top of Group 1, and will await the final games in Group 2 to find out their semi-final opponent.
South Africa, meanwhile, started both innings strongly in this one, only to fall away, and now face a must-win clash with Bangladesh, while hoping New Zealand beat Sri Lanka and that they finish top of the three-way tie on net run-rate. After being put in to bat, South Africa made a flying start as Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaardt combined to put on 54 runs at a run-a-ball for the opening wicket.
Eventually Ellyse Perry had Wolvaardt caught behind for 19 by Beth Mooney, keeping in place of the injured Alyssa Healy.
Marizanne Kapp followed for a duck before Georgia Wareham got the big one when she clean bowled Brits for 45, adding Chloe Tryon in the same over as South Africa suddenly found themselves 77 for four. A rebuild was required, with Delmi Tucker removed for seven by Megan Schutt as the boundaries dried up.
After more than eight overs without finding the ropes, Nadine de Klerk finally did the honours, smashing Schutt for a maximum over long-on before Sune Luus added a four in the final over. The skipper was bowled by Gardner for 20, De Klerk finishing on 14 not out as they had to settle for 124 for six after such a promising start.
That did not feel like enough against this Australia team, although Kapp had Perry caught at slip by Tryon for 11 before Meg Lanning was bowled around her legs for one by Nonkululeko Mlaba in the sixth over. When Kapp took out Mooney, plumb in front, for 20, Australia were 40 for three and starting to wobble.
However, batting depth is the hallmark of this Australian team, and McGrath and Gardner proceeded to settle in before successive boundaries from the former in the tenth over showed their intent to pick up the pace.
From then on, the fours kept coming and the target became easier and easier, with McGrath moving to her half-century from just 29 balls.
Three more boundaries off Mlaba took Australia within touching distance, and while she was caught by Wolvaardt off Masabata Klaas trying to finish the job, Grace Harris came in to smash the winning boundary with three and a half overs to spare.
Scores
South Africa
124 for six in 20 overs (Tazmin Brits 45, Sune Luus 20; Georgia Wareham 2/18, Ellyse Perry 1/8)
Australia
125 for four in 16.3 overs (Tahlia McGrath 57, Ashleigh Gardner 28 not out; Marizanne Kapp 2/21, Masabata Klaas 1/18)
Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pavan Rathnayake, Dhananjaya de Silva, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga.
On Tuesday, a day before the ICC is expected to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation at the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, the PCB wrote to the governing body stating that it supports the BCB’s stance on not wanting to play in India at a time of political turmoil in the neighbourhood. ESPNcricinfo has learned that that PCB also copied the members of the ICC Board in it.
It is understood that the ICC has called a Board meeting on Wednesday to address the matter of the BCB asking for Bangladesh’s matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka because of security concerns in India. It could not be ascertained if the PCB’s email led to the Board meeting being called.
The timing of the PCB email could raise eyebrows, but it is understood that it will not impact the ICC’s stance so far, of not changing the World Cup schedule and allowing Bangladesh to play in Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the tournament with India. The ICC has been firm on this and has conveyed the same to the BCB during its interactions last week.
The BCB, with the Bangladesh government’s support, has refused to travel to India for the team’s group-stage games.
The ICC and the BCB have met several times to discuss the issue, most recently in Dhaka last weekend. But neither side has shifted their stances – the ICC insisting matches must go ahead as planned and the BCB that it cannot send its team to India. January 21 – Wednesday – had been set as a deadline for a decision, less than three weeks before the start of the tournament.
The PCB’s late involvement in the matter comes on the back of a week of speculation around their possible ways out of the impasse. There were unverified reports that the PCB had offered to stage Bangladesh’s games in Pakistan and, more dramatically, that the PCB was reviewing Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, contingent on what happens with Bangladesh.
The PCB has not commented publicly on the matter, or responded to ESPNcricinfo’s queries.
The stand-off began when the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for IPL 2026. The reasons for that have never been fully explained, though a worsening of political ties between Bangladesh and India has been cited. That prompted the Bangladesh government to formally state that the Bangladesh team would not play its matches in India.
The situation has spiralled since then, even leading to a player boycott in Bangladesh, which affected the ongoing BPL, after a senior BCB official spoke disparagingly of the country’s premier players when asked about the financial implications for the BCB if Bangladesh ended up staying away from the T20 World Cup altogether
(Cricinfo)
Rain in Bulawayo allowed just ten overs of action between Bangladesh and New Zealand .
The match began an hour later than scheduled, and as a 47-over contest after Bangladesh opted to bowl. Iqbal Hossain Emon cleaned Hugo Bogue up for 8 in the second over, but just as Aryan Mann and Tom Jones steadied New Zealand, rain returned, only for no play to be possible after that.
It was New Zealand’s second washed-out game in a row, and they will hope to beat India in their final group game so that they don’t have to depend on the result of the Bangladesh-USA match to progress to the Super Sixes.
No result: New Zealand 51 for 1 vs Bangladesh
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