Australia's spinners choke Proteas Women as Mandla Mashimbyi's team slumps to defeat

Proteas allrounder Marizanne Kapps is run out in the ICC T20 World Cup opener against Australia in Manchester.

The Proteas Women’s team’s failure to execute the basics cost them dearly in their ICC T20 Women’s World Cup opener against Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.

Age-old problems reared their ugly heads at the most inopportune time. The fielding was once again indifferent, which allowed Australia to post 172/8—comfortably 30 runs more than the 2023 T20 World Champions should have mustered.

And then a shuffled batting line-up, with all-rounders Annerie Dercksen and Nadine de Klerk occupying the crucial No. 3 and No. 4 positions, only led to a confusion of role clarity, which, against the high-quality spin that Australia possessed, was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

So it proved, as the Proteas were bundled out for 107, slumping to a 65-run defeat, which could have greater consequences further down the line with their net run rate also plummeting.