Sports

Rampant Australia stand in South Africa’s path to glory

Published

4 years ago

2023/02/26

Priyan

The key contest in the final looks likely to be Australia's batters against South Africa's pace bowlers. (pic ICC)

It isn’t often that bits of paper stuck to windows are worth quoting, but these are extraordinary times. “Sold out,” read the signs on the ticket booths at Newlands on Saturday afternoon – more than 24 hours before South Africa will take on Australia in the women’s T20 World Cup final.

Cape Town isn’t a metropolis like Mumbai or London, where there’s a good chance more people than are needed to fill the ground are going about their business in the surrounding streets on any given match day. It also isn’t Melbourne, which although has a population comparable to Cape Town’s also has the MCG, with its exponentially bigger capacity than Newlands, which suffers from the added disadvantage of being hemmed in by concrete neighbours on all sides. Unless you live or work nearby, getting there is difficult.

But Saturday morning produced queues outside Newlands, that snaked many metres down the pavement to the end of the block, of aspirant spectators for today’s showdown. If you know South Africans and their idea of sport worth paying money to watch, especially here in the leafy, genteel heart of the patriarchy, you know they wouldn’t ordinarily spend a weekend morning waiting patiently in the summer sun trying to buy access to a game unless it is to be played by men.

The lines wouldn’t have formed had South Africa not earned an unlikely but deserved victory over England in their semi-final at the same ground on Friday. That made Sune Luus’ team the first senior side from her country, men or women, to reach a World Cup final in any format.

Like making it to Newlands, getting to the decider hasn’t been simple for the South Africans. They shambled to two defeats in their four group games, putting in performances that would have buried them had they played like that in one more match. Mostly, their batters couldn’t match their bowlers. On Friday, bat met ball on something like equal terms and the result was astounding. Having scored a decent 164/4 – comfortably their highest total in their last seven T20Is in which they have batted first – South Africa took all eight England wickets to fall for 100 runs and won by six runs.

Their opponents on Sunday couldn’t have taken a more different route to the final. Australia were on auto-pilot throughout the group stage, where they never looked like losing. Only in their semi were they stretched. They made a serious 172/4, which India came within five runs of overhauling.

The wider narrative tells a similar story. Before Friday, South Africa had known the disappointment of five failed white-ball semifinals. There have been 19 women’s global tournaments and the Aussies have been to the final in 12 of them. Or maybe 13: there was no final in the first two ODI World Cups, in 1973 and 1978, which were decided on points. But England and Australia were the only unbeaten teams going into the last match in 1978. So it is considered a de facto final. Of those 13 tournaments, Australia have won 12. If David versus Goliath needs a reboot to bring it up to speed with an age in which women are taken more seriously in every sphere of life – and the gods know it does – this match fits the template.

The key contest looks likely to be Australia’s batters against South Africa’s pace bowlers, but the way the home side’s batters dealt with England’s crack attack says that theory could be in for a shake-up. Suddenly Tamzin Brits is five runs ahead of Alyssa Healy as the tournament’s highest remaining run-scorer, albeit from one fewer innings. But Ash Gardner is the leading wicket-taker left in the competition and no-one has a better economy rate than Grace Harris.

Only the stupid money would not be on Australia to clinch another title. They have too many threats in too many places, who have delivered accordingly, not to be outright favourites. Thing is, much the same could have been said about England before the semi-final. They encountered a South Africa team who had finally got over themselves well enough to play properly.

A jam-packed Newlands will be willing them to do so one more time with feeling on Sunday. Men might form most of the crowd, as they have in the past. The difference this time is that they won’t only watch a cricket match, or even a cricket match played by women. They will attend history in the making, and they will hope as hard as they dare, from the bottom of their hoary, hairy hearts, that they are on the side of the team who write it.

South Africa Possible XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus (capt), Chloe Tryon, Anneke Bosch, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

Australia Possible XI: Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (capt), Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

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Sports

Lalit Rajbanshi, Kushal Bhurtel set up Nepal’s opening win

Published

6 hours ago

2026/09/25

Priyan

File photo: Kushal Bhurtel ripped through Afghanistan's middle order[Cricinfo]

Spinners Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi shared seven wickets between them to give Nepal a winning start to their cricket campaign in the Asian Games, in Nishin. They restricted Afghanistan to 102 for 7 in 20 overs, after which Nepal chased the target with five wickets and 16 balls to spare.

This was Afghanistan’s first defeat in the competition after they had also started with a win against Japan on Thursday.

After opting to bat, Afghanistan were reduced to 16 for 3 in the fifth over, with left-arm fingerspinner Rajbanshi accounting for all three wickets in his three overs in the powerplay. Faisal Ahmadzai, who was making his T20I debut for Afghanistan, scored 30 off 33 balls and Najibullah Zadran chalked up an identical score to help their team recover briefly.

Bhurtel, the legspinner, though ran through the middle order, bagging figures of 4 for 21 in his four overs. Apart from Najibullah and Ahmadzai, no other Afghanistan batter passed 20.

Bhurtel then fell for a duck in the first over of Nepal’s chase and by the seventh over, they were wobbling at 31 for 3. Sundeep Jora (34) and former captain Rohit Paudel (33 not out) then stabilised the chase and put Nepal back on the path to victory. Paul remained unbeaten, along with Gulsan Jha, to get the job done for Nepal in the 18th over.

Scores: Nepal 103 for 5 in 17.2 overs (Sundeep Jora 34, Rohit Paudel 33*, Dipendra Singh Airee 15; Fairdoon Dawoodzai 1-10, Abdollah Ahmadzai 1-15, Arab Gull 1-13) beat Afghanistan 102 for 7 in 20 overs (Faisal Khan Ahmadzai 30, Najibullah Zadran 30, Nangeyahlia Khan 17*; Kushal Bhurtel 4-21, Lalit Rajbanshi 3-13) by five wickets

[Cricinfo]

Sports

Clash of the Sisters set for October 4

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/25

Thilina Walpola

Past students of eight schools will come together in the inaugural 'Clash of the Sisters.'

The St. Lawrence’s Convent Past Pupils Association will bring together former students from several leading schools for a day of cricket and camaraderie when the ‘Clash of the Sisters ’26’ takes place at the Wesley College Grounds, Campbell Park, on Sunday, October 4.

The tournament will feature a series of fast-paced 10-over softball cricket matches, with past pupils renewing old friendships while representing their respective schools in a spirit of friendly rivalry.

The women’s competition will feature teams representing St. Lawrence’s Convent, St. Bridget’s Convent, Holy Family Convent, St. Anne’s BMV Wattala, Ave Maria Convent Negombo, Ladies’ College, Musaeus College and Methodist College.

A men’s invitational exhibition match will also be staged, with the Old Wesleyites Sports Club taking on the S. Thomas’ College OBA.

Organisers are also planning a carnival atmosphere away from the cricket, with food stalls, games, entertainment and other activities lined up for alumni, families and visitors.

The event is being organised by the St. Lawrence’s Convent Past Pupils Association 2026/27 with the aim of bringing together different alumni communities and strengthening ties between past pupils through sport.

With eight schools involved in the women’s competition and an exhibition fixture adding further interest, organisers expect the event to provide a lively mix of cricket, fellowship and school spirit.

Sports

Play cricket with passion, Madugalle tells youngsters

Published

17 hours ago

2026/09/25

Thilina Walpola

Ranjan Madugalle delivering the key note address

by Rex Clementine

Former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle urged the next generation of cricketers to wear the national colours with passion and pride, reminding youngsters that there is no greater honour in the game than representing their country.

The ICC’s Chief Match Referee was speaking at a ceremony at the P. Sara Oval where Tamil Union’s players and coaching staff were felicitated following their triumph in the domestic T-20 competition a fortnight ago.

“I hear that four players from this team will be travelling to Japan tomorrow to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Games. That’s a very good achievement for any club and I urge you to play with passion and be committed. There is no bigger honour than representing your country,” Madugalle said.

Madugalle, who charmed cricket lovers with his elegant stroke play during his playing days, held the gathering spellbound with an eloquent address that also took him on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

“I have many fond memories of P. Sara Oval. I walked into this ground as an 11-year-old to watch the Royal-Thomian. I played our inaugural Test here, but above all, my most memorable moment at this ground was when we won our maiden Test against India in 1985.”

The P. Sara Oval occupies a special place in Sri Lankan cricket history. It hosted the country’s inaugural Test against England in 1982 and, three years later, the island’s maiden Test victory when Sri Lanka stunned India.

Madugalle also paid tribute to several Tamil Union stalwarts who had played an influential role in his cricketing journey.

“This club has several stalwarts of the game and there are three people I looked up to. One was Sathi Coomaraswamy, who invited me into the dressing room when I was a kid and ignited the passion in me for the game. Then, of course, there are other gentlemen like Chandra Schaffter and T. Murugaser, who were managers when I was representing the Sri Lankan team.”

Madugalle, a former Head Prefect of Royal College, received a prolonged ovation at the conclusion of his address. Also present was another former Royal Head Prefect, Eran Wickramaratne, who represented Tamil Union in First Class cricket and currently heads Sri Lanka Cricket.

Tamil Union’s championship winning players and coaching staff were felicitated during the ceremony, while club patron Chandra Schaffter made a personal donation of Rs. 1.5 million to the players.

SLC officials, Tamil Union members and several former presidents of the club, including S. Skandakumar, Dinal Philips, A.R. Rasiah, Selva Perumal, Kandos Kandasamy and N. Vasanthakumar, were among those present.

Tamil Union enjoyed a remarkable run in this season’s T-20 competition, winning nine matches on the trot before overcoming SSC in the final. The side was captained by wicketkeeper batter Minod Bhanuka.

The club had further reason to celebrate with four of its playersl Tharindu Rathnayake, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Binura Fernando and Sineth Jayawardene selected to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Japan.