SA Women vs AUS Women, 15th Match, Group 1 at Gqeberha, WT20 WC, Feb 18 2023 - Match Result

9.40 pm Even without Alyssa Healy, Australia cruise to victory and have finished the group stage undefeated to take the top spot in their half of the draw for the semifinals. South Africa are still in with a chance of the semifinals but need New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka, paired with a South Africa win over winless Bangladesh in their final group stage match. That would bring the net run rate tiebreaker into play, and South Africa's is currently far superior to Sri Lanka in spite of the fact that Sri Lanka has two wins to South Africa's one.

Tahlia McGrath has been named Player of the Match: "I've been a bit light on time in the middle so I just wanted to play straight early, get a few out of the middle and then go on from there. Once I got out and got into it, it was a really nice wicket to bat on. The atmosphere tonight was incredible and I love playing in front of crowds like this. Bowlers did a great job. A few early wickets isn't always ideal but the way Ash and I consolidated, I was really happy with that. I've been loving watching the top order do their thing but it's always nice to go out there and score some runs. Everyone is batting really well at the moment and we go into the semifinals full of confidence."

South Africa captain Sune Luus: "I think the way Tazmin Brits and Laura Wolvaadt started the game, I think we were almost up to 7s at the 10 over mark. We lost wickets consecutively which hurt us on the back end. They have a very deep batting order. We used Kappie a lot in the first six but unfortunately we didn't have enough runs on the board. That's just a fact. But I don't think it was for lack of trying. They were just very very good with the bat. It was emotional today. It was the first time I had tears in my eyes for the national anthem. I had goosebumps as well. It's great to see the crowds coming out and I don't think we've ever had the support we've had. It's incredibly humbling and I just hope it continues whether we play a World Cup or not. We still have one game and we're still gonna give it our all. It's not ideal to depend on other teams and net run rate and all that, but we're certainly going to leave everything on the field."

Total official attendance tonight was 8,402 at St. George's Park.

Australia captain Meg Lanning: "I thought Tahlia was excellent, Ash as well. They summed up conditions really quickly and put the pressure back on South Africa. We actually felt like we were doing okay [after 10 overs in the field]. It felt like they were going better than what they were. The crowd were into it and the atmosphere created some energy. But we just need to drag the length back a touch and the fightback was excellent. We just had to stay calm and focused on what we were trying to do. It was great that the atmosphere was electric but sometimes you can get caught up in it. It did feel like they were going really well, but once you look at the scoreboard and you realize it was a good wicket, once we got some wickets we felt like we were back in control. Getting through the group stage was the first step and very important but we're very excited to play in a semifinal."

That's it for today's live coverage. Come back tomorrow for coverage of another doubleheader as Ireland take on West Indies in the early match from Paarl before Sri Lanka and New Zealand play in the nightcap. Reminder that if Sri Lanka win, they clinch a semifinal berth. But a loss leaves the door open for South Africa to sneak in through the back door. Until tomorrow, take care!

Harry G: "The ability to still be comfortable and destructive when 3/4 wickets down is still what seperates Australia from any other nation. India were done once Mandhana departed, Aus lost Mooney, Lanning and Perry yet still cantering home, "

TINTIN: "Feel McGrath should be promoted to number 3 at times. She can be so destructive up the order. No disrespect to Lanning though. "