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Marizanne Kapp on her way to 43 in SA's comfortable win against Scotland in Dubai. Picture: ISURU SAMEERA/GALLO IMAGES
Marizanne Kapp on her way to 43 in SA's comfortable win against Scotland in Dubai. Picture: ISURU SAMEERA/GALLO IMAGES

Though far from faultless, the Proteas delivered a performance against Scotland that keeps their T20 Women’s World Cup challenge on track while giving their net run rate a necessary lift. 

Victory was achieved by 80 runs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with SA notching up the tournament’s highest total — 166/5 — after also delivering the highest score in a power play — 60/0 — in this year’s competition. 

They were expected to dominate and largely did so, easing some of the frustration the players felt from Monday’s defeat in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, against England. 

However, it wasn’t smooth sailing and against better opposition the Proteas would have been made to pay for some of their errors. 

Scotland made many more mistakes, starting with Katherine Fraser dropping a sitter at mid-off that gave Laura Wolvaardt an extra opportunity at the start of the second over. The SA captain was scratchy for the first 15 balls she faced, battling to build rhythm and find the middle of the bat. 

Perhaps still irritated by Monday’s outcome she tried to force the pace early and miscued a slog off a full toss from Kathryn Bryce that should have been held by Fraser. Wolvaardt took a few deep breaths and got her innings going a few overs later with a couple of aggressive strikes down the ground, the first a six over long on and the second a four in the same region. 

At the other end Tazmin Brits also struggled with her timing on another brutally hot day in Dubai. That the openers were able to score quickly was mainly down to inexperienced Scotland being unable to maintain the right lines and lengths while their fielding was mediocre. 

Wolvaardt and Brits shared a first-wicket stand of 64, but it will frustrate both that neither managed to turn their starts into knocks of greater substance. Such as most of the South African batters they were dismissed playing attacking shots.

Wolvaardt was beautifully caught by a diving Olivia Bell in the covers for 40, providing a moment of redemption for Fraser, who was the bowler, while Brits was caught at long off after making 43. 

Marizanne Kapp delivered another punishing innings in the manner of someone who is a class above the rest. She also scored 43, hitting six fours, facing just 24 balls. 

“It was a good total,” said Kapp, who was named player of the match. “I would have liked if we could have pushed towards 180, especially after where we were after the power play.”

Much like with the ball, Scotland really weren’t in the same league as the Proteas when it came to batting. Chloe Tryon picked up a couple of cheap wickets in the power play with batters caught off the leading edge, while Nonkululeko Mlaba’s growing love affair with Dubai continued as she picked up 3/12 after the four-wicket haul she managed against West Indies in the Proteas’ opener.

With their fielding under scrutiny after they dropped five catches in Sharjah, the South Africans would have been pleased with their efforts in that department, the highlight of which was a stunning caught and bowled by Sune Luus, who threw herself to her left to dismiss Lorna Jack-Brown. 

The Proteas conceded 11 extras, eight of them wides, which will be an area they will need to clean up before their final group game on Saturday against Bangladesh. 

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