Australia’s Beth Mooney in action at Newlands FILE - Australia’s Beth Mooney in action at Newlands. Photo: Phando Jikelo/African News Agency (ANA)
Beth Mooney overcame illness and put in a player of the match performance as Australia beat South Africa in the third T20I to claim the series win.
Chasing 162, Mooney struck a brisk 82, and when she went out, the Australian women needed just a handful of runs to win the match in Hobart on Tuesday.
For South Africa, Marizanne Kapp, playing in her 100th T20I, was the star as she scored 75 off 48 balls on their way to the handy total as they searched for a historic series win Down Under.
Despite the loss, Kapp feels the Proteas Women are closing the gap on Australia.
The veteran all-rounder has faced the juggernaut Aussies numerous times over her stellar 15-year-long international career, but only tasted victory against them for the first in the second T20I last week.
“I’ve always felt that in a lot of our World Cup games against Australia, especially in T20 cricket, we’ve had them by the neck but then let them loose,” Kapp said after the five-wicket defeat in the series decider.
“But I certainly do feel that in the last three games we have got them in those positions and then we just held them under pressure for a little bit longer and that’s probably why the games were so much closer this time around.
“It is a very good sign. The way we have been fighting with both bat and ball is so good to see It was just a few basic errors that cost us this game. It has been an amazing journey seeing our team change.
“We’ve got a few new young players and it's been amazing to be a part of this journey and to see how our team has grown. We can only get stronger as a team.”
IOL Sport
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