South Africa Women secured a six-wicket victory over India Women in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Group A clash at Old Trafford in Manchester. Chasing 159, the Proteas reached 161/4 in 19.1 overs to pull off the highest successful run chase in the history of the tournament. The win scrambles the Group A standings, pushing South Africa into third place right behind India and Australia.
India posted 158/7 in their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first on a two-paced surface. The top order started fast with Shafali Verma scoring 31 off 15 balls. The innings featured a major global milestone, as Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored 24 runs in her 200th international appearance. Kaur is now the first cricketer across both men’s and women’s formats to reach the 200 T20I mark. Deepti Sharma added 29 off 21 balls to push the final total past 150. South African veteran Marizanne Kapp took 2/27, while Shabnim Ismail controlled the middle overs to slow India’s scoring rate.
The South African chase started poorly, dropping to 25/2 by the end of the powerplay. The match shifted on three key sequences:
- Indian bowler Shree Charani’s early dominance, taking 3/24 and securing a double-wicket maiden that removed Laura Wolvaardt.
- Two critical fielding errors by substitute Radha Yadav, who dropped Kapp twice early in her innings.
- A match-defining 97-run partnership between Kapp and opener Tazmin Brits, who anchored the other end with 40 off 36 balls.
Kapp fully capitalized on the missed chances, dictating the remainder of the chase with a career-best unbeaten 81 off just 45 balls. She struck seven boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 180, seeing her team over the line with five balls to spare. Kapp took home Player of the Match honors for her performance.