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Wolvaardt shines as South Africa takes series lead against India
Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus were batting so aggressively in the chase against India in the third T20I, they seemed to surprise themselves with how quickly they were scoring.
A record-breaking Powerplay
The pair put on 72 runs in the Powerplay – the most a South African side have ever put on in the first six overs – and Wolvaardt brought up both her and the team’s fastest T20I fifty, off 23 balls, in that time.
They knew they had to do something like that to chase a score of 193 and that they had to keep it up for the entirety of their innings.
We kept each other pretty calm out there, Wolvaardt told the post-match broadcast. It’s new territory to find ourselves on 70-odd after the Powerplay but once we got that, we told each other we have to keep going.
We knew we had so much power in the dug out so we just had to get as much as we could. And then once we got out of the Powerplay, I just tried to win the game as quickly as I could.
A dominating partnership
In the end, the pair did almost all of the work. Wolvaardt and Luus shared an opening stand of 183, which is South Africa’s second highest for the first-wicket, and the rate at which they scored suggested they could have chased many more.
That was partly down to conditions, which Wolvaardt described as more like a typical Wanderers surface than the slower ones we have seen lately.
I realised pretty early on that the ball was sliding on nicely, she said. My main thought was to max the Powerplay and once we got out of the Powerplay, just try to stay with the rate. I knew chasing 190, we needed a pretty good start so I just came out with a lot of intent. The wicket was nice and flat.
India’s struggles
And it helped that India didn’t seem to know how to respond under that kind of pressure. A disappointed Harmanpreet Kaur said South Africa didn’t give us a single chance to come back into the game, after India posted their highest score against this opposition.
Though Wolvaardt was dropped twice – on 31 and 85 – she had already done significant damage and Kaur acknowledged the bowlers didn’t have any second answer for them.
A memorable innings
Wolvaardt went on to score her third T20I hundred and equal her highest score in the format. She called her innings a lot of fun, and gave credit to Luus, who she said batted pretty well too.
The pair, who were only brought together as openers in this series, now seem locked in to be South Africa’s top two at the T20 World Cup, with Tazmin Brits likely to slot in at No.3.
A strong team performance
It’s worth remembering South Africa are without Marizanne Kapp, who is recovering from illness, and will likely come into the top five. That will leave them spoilt for choice with Annerie Dercksen, Kayla Reyneke and Anneke Bosch also fighting for spots in the top five.
Before they think about that, Wolvaardt wants them to concentrate on the two games left in this series because winning a lot of games against India is not something you get to do every day.
Indeed, this is only the second time South Africa have beaten India in a T20I bilateral series and the first time they have done it at home. It also gives them a summer sweep, with series wins over Ireland, Pakistan and India at home and, the 1-4 defeat to New Zealand aside, leaves them well prepared for the T20 World Cup.
We are in a very good space. We are improving every single game, Wolvaardt said, though she had already thought of the next challenge. It is a good surface and we have been getting the better of the tosses. Once we lose the toss and have to bat first, that will be a different story but that’s what this five match series is for.
South Africa have won all three tosses and chased all three times. The next match takes place at the Wanderers on Saturday before the series concludes in a day game in Benoni next Monday, which is a public holiday in South Africa.
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