South Africa 193 for 3 (Bosch 65, Tunnicliffe 52*, Mavunga 1-25) beat Zimbabwe 129 for 7 (Mutasa 30*, Naidu 3-26, Bosch 2-5) by 64 runs
After selecting to bat, Laura Wolvaardt, considerably surprisingly, struggled to seek out fluency upfront and it was as much as Bosch to play the aggressor. She scored the primary three boundaries, earlier than Wolvaardt had discovered one and was on 23 off 11 balls when Wolvaardt was given out lbw for a run-a-ball 10.
Bosch went on to attain a 24-ball fifty, with 9 fours and shared in a 64-run second-wicket stand with Nondumiso Shangase. The pair set South Africa up for a complete in extra of 200. They have been on 99 for 1 within the eleventh over when Bosch tried to hit Michelle Mavunga over the covers however sliced the ball to Nomvelo Sibanda who took a easy catch. Within the subsequent over, Shangase tried to hack a ball that was already happening leg, popped it up as an alternative and Christine Mutasa took a well-judged catch at quick positive to finish her innings.
Tunnicliffe gave herself a sighter and scored 4 runs off the primary 9 balls she confronted earlier than she struck her first boundary. From there, she confirmed off an array of aerial pictures, particularly on the off aspect and raced to fifty off 33 balls. Tunnicliffe and Annerie Dercksen’s fourth-wicket stand lasted for 50 balls and was value 88*.
Zimbabwe’s highest profitable chase in T20Is is 120, so 194 was all the time going to be a tough ask. It grew to become extra so when Sharne Mayers performed Eliz-Mari Marx onto her stumps off the third ball of the reply.
The remainder of Zimbabwe’s high order bought begins however have been unable to dig in or transfer the rating ahead meaningfully. Kelis Ndlovu hit Nthabiseng Nini via the covers for an authoritative 4 however then swung throughout the road and top-edged. Nini took a very good return catch nearly on the batter’s finish of the pitch. Beloved Biza was on 10 off 4 balls when she despatched Naidu to deep mid-wicket the place Bosch was ready. In the identical over, Loreen Tshuma performed a stunning late lower for 4 after which gave Naidu a easy return catch. Nyasha Gwanzura, who top-scored with 18, was bowled by a traditional legspin supply as she tried to go huge. At 51 for five, Zimbabwe have been all however out of it.
There was nonetheless time for Bosch’s golden arm to provide her two wickets in two overs, each lbw choices which left Zimbabwe 84 for 7 within the 14th over. South Africa could have foreseen an early finish to the match however a 45-run eighth-wicket stand between Christine Mutasa and Sibanda ensured Zimbabwe batted out the 20 overs whereas 17-year-old Mutasa’s 30* was greater than all of the runs she had scored in eight T20Is earlier than this.