CAPE TOWN: Shabnim Ismail is on her knees. So is Marizanne Kapp. The entire South African squad is jumping all over them. They had just made history. For the first time in the history of cricket, South Africa have reached the final of an ICC World Cup. The Newlands Cricket Stadium is buzzing, and the celebrations from the crowd for the semifinal clash have engulfed the ground. They had just defeated England by six runs.
From the moment Sune Luus opted to bat a few hours ago, they had not put a foot wrong. Laura Wolvaardt (68) and Tazmin Brits (53) provided the start they needed before Kapp, who had been fighting her own battles off the field, smashed an unbeaten 13-ball 27 to take the hosts to 164/4.
Was it going to be enough? It did not look so when Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt took on the bowling attack as England raced to 53/0 in five overs. In comes Ismail. Now, she had been a part of every heartbreak this team has gone through since her debut more than a decade ago. She is playing in a home World Cup for the very first time, and quite possibly for the last time, and has breathed fire through this tournament. She dismisses Dunkley to give the first breakthrough. Two balls later, she delivers a sharp bouncer which gets too high on Alice Capsey --- it still wasn't a wicket, until Brits dived full length at midwicket to pull off a one-handed stunner.
Could it be said that South Africa were in control?
No. Natalie Sciver-Brunt, in the form of her life, is smashing everyone who comes her way --- Nonkululeko Mlaba went for 30 runs in her three overs. But South Africa hung on. As long as Natalie was in the middle, England had hope. And very rightly so. Who steps up? Nadine de Klerk. Someone who is often not fully utilized enough for her potential as an all-rounder, she delivers a miserly spell of 1/17 in her four, including the wicket of Natalie.
Even then England did not give up. Their skipper Heather Knight was still there. And they bat deep. In the last three overs, they needed 28 runs with six wickets in hand. Over to Ayabonga Khakha, who had gone for 26 runs in her three overs. Come the 18th over, she took three crucial wickets as England crumbled to 140/7 in a span of six balls.
From there, it was down to the two clutch performers --- Ismail and Kapp. The two who had been there in the middle through the thick and thin of it. And they were not going to let this slide. Over the next 12 balls, they will concede only 18 runs to defend the total by six.
They kept the dream alive --- the dream that didn't seem possible when South Africa's squad was announced with their star all-rounder Dane van Niekerk, who is also Kapp's wife, being left out. From thereon, almost every press conference had a question about her omission and the impact it had on the team. But this group of players, including Kapp, did not let it affect their spirit. They took it in their stride and gave their heart and soul to their family and friends and fans in their backyard. And on Sunday, the entire South Africa will come together and cheer for these women against Australia to lift the trophy --- for they deserve that more than anything else.
Brief scores: South Africa 164/4 in 20 overs (Brits 68; Wolvaardt 53) bt England 158/8 in 20 overs (Khaka 4/29, Ismail 3.27)