Australia's domination of women's cricket has been ended sensationally in Dubai after an inspired South Africa hammered them by eight wickets in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup.
After winning the last four World Cups — three in T20 and one at 50 overs — in a fantastic six-year reign, one of global sport's most successful teams was finally downed in a wholly unexpected one-sided affair on Thursday night (Friday morning, AEDT).
South Africa's Anneke Bosch proved the ultimate executioner, blasting the highest individual score of the tournament, 74 not out off just 48 balls, to make preposterously light work of their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare.
[scorecard]It means an Australian side won't feature in a global Women's T20 showpiece for the first time in 15 years as their hopes of a fourth triumph in a row were obliterated.
"It's gonna be pretty hard to take. We just didn't really show up tonight, and can't afford to do that in tournaments like this," Australia's stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath said.
After 15 straight match wins in the tournament stretching back four years, Australia, again without injured skipper Alyssa Healy, simply never fired after being put in to bat, battling to 5 for 134 against impressively tight South African bowling.
Beth Mooney top-scored with 44 off 42 balls but even the masterful leftie couldn't ever really break the shackles, as only a late blitz from Phoebe Litchfield (16 not out off nine) and Ellyse Perry (31 off 23) took the champions to a defendable target.
But South Africa, seeking revenge for their T20 final defeat on home soil in 2023 and feeling confident following a couple of white-ball wins in Australia earlier this year, made the target look a cakewalk with Bosch cracking eight fours and a six in the second-fastest 50 of the tournament.
She was aided by skipper Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 37) in a daring 96-run second-wicket partnership that exposed Australia's earlier scratchiness.
"I think they outplayed us tonight. We just weren't at our best," McGrath said.
"We've had this World Cup in our minds for a very long time now. We worked really hard over the off-season, and we were really well-prepped coming into here, felt like we left no stone unturned.
"But we just didn't show up on the night."
South Africa will play either New Zealand or the West Indies in the final on Monday morning, AEDT.
AAP
