Beth Mooney recovered from her illness to score an impressive 82 runs in Australia’s comeback victory over South Africa following a surprising loss in the T20 match.

The opening batsman’s 55-ball innings led Australia to a victory over the opposing team’s score of 162-7 with five wickets remaining and four balls to spare on Tuesday evening in Hobart. This win secured the series-within-a-series with a score of 2-1.

Mooney, who hit an unbeaten 72 in the opening T20 game, struck the ball cleanly from the outset and finished with 11 fours and one six.

She consistently lost teammates and was eliminated in the 18th over, leaving her team with a requirement of 14 runs in 13 balls for a win.

Ash Gardner remained unbeaten at 26 runs from 17 balls and secured the victory with a boundary.

Marizanne Kapp led South Africa to a record-breaking T20 score against Australia with her career-best 48-ball 75.

On Sunday, South Africa won their first game against Australia in any format, resulting in a tie of 1-1 and leading to a decisive T20 match.

The multi-format series consists of three ODIs, one Test match, and three T20s games.

The captain of Australia, Alyssa Healy, disclosed that Mooney was feeling unwell and could have sat out the match.

Healy mentioned that all he has been hearing is the possibility of questionable sashimi.

At approximately 1 PM, I messaged her and asked if she was doing well. In response, she sent a picture of herself in bed and mentioned wanting to go outside for some fresh air.

There was a chance that she wouldn’t participate, but she made it to the field, warmed up well, and felt ready to contribute.

Following her team’s turn to bat, Kapp played a crucial role in South Africa’s comeback from a shaky start of 3-28 in the fifth over.

The versatile player and Anneke Bosch had a successful partnership of 80 runs in only 57 balls, with Bosch contributing 21 runs.

Kapp’s performance in her 100th T20 international game exceeded her previous high score of 56, and it occurred after she was missed by a fielder when she was at 19 runs.

Tahlia McGrath’s slower ball hit the stumps, resulting in her dismissal during the 17th over.

Kapp stated that if we reflect on previous years, given our poor start, we likely would have been dismissed for a score of 80-100.

It’s great to see that our performance with bat and ball has been strong, and we can continue to improve as a team.

South Africa’s Chloe Tryon chipped in with an important 26 from 16 balls late in the innings before being caught and bowled by spinner Georgia Wareham in the 18th over.

Wareham was the most cost-effective bowler for Australia, only conceding 25 runs in four overs. However, despite sitting out the previous match, Darcie Brown (0-27 in two overs) struggled and faced some criticism.

Source: theguardian.com