South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp believes the Australian women’s team has lost its aura of invincibility following the retirement of former captain Meg Lanning last year.
Australia suffered its first loss to South Africa in women’s ODIs on Wednesday evening, a crushing 84-run defeat in wet conditions at North Sydney Oval. Chasing a 234-run target for victory, Australia crumbled to 8-71 in the 14th over before all-rounder Ash Gardner and bowler Kim Garth combined for a 77-run partnership, a record for the ninth wicket in women’s ODIs.
Gardner and Garth ensured Australia avoided its heaviest defeat in women’s ODIs, but they couldn’t prevent the hosts from being rolled in less than 30 overs, the national side’s shortest completed innings in the format.
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“The initial feeling is disappointment, but credit to South Africa because I think they batted really well in tough conditions and then used the new ball beautifully to set the game up,” Garth told reporters during the post-match press conference.
“We’re disappointed, but we’ll reflect on that and take some learnings into the last game.”
Australia’s heaviest defeats in women’s ODIs by runs
92 runs vs England in Birmingham, 1973
88 runs vs India in Chennai, 2004
84 runs vs South Africa in North Sydney, 2024
82 runs vs New Zealand in Lincoln, 2008
69 runs vs England in Taunton, 2023
Kapp starred for the Proteas with bat and ball, cracking an 87-ball 75 before taking three wickets in a devastating spell during the Powerplay, including the crucial dismissal of rival captain Alyssa Healy.
“It’s a proud moment, not only for me, but for South Africa as well,” Kapp told reporters after the match.
“We all know that we’ve never beaten Australia in an ODI game, so to perform and help my team over the line is a massive achievement for me.”
Kapp, who has faced the Australians 19 times across formats since 2009, declared the other nations were slowly “catching up” to Australia, a team that dominated world cricket under Lanning’s captaincy. Australia’s win rate in white-ball matches under Lanning was 81.5 per cent, including a record 26 consecutive ODIs between March 2018 and September 2021, while that figure has slipped to 64 per cent since Healy took charge last year.
“There’s definitely a change,” Kapp said.
“Losing someone like Lanning, you’re never going to be able to replace her, not with captaincy and I don’t think her batting as well.
“I remember too many games where we had Australia in trouble and she came out to bat and she saved them.
“I think everyone is catching up a bit around the world, even the associate teams are picking up against the lower-ranked teams, so it’s good for the women’s game.
“It’s a lot more challenging, and hopefully this can continue.”
Australia’s shortest completed innings in women’s ODIs
29.3 overs vs South Africa in North Sydney, 2024
35.3 overs vs England in Taunton, 2023
36.4 overs vs India in Chennai, 2004
40.1 overs vs India in Derby, 2017
41.1 overs vs New Zealand in Adelaide, 1996
The Australians certainly needed Lanning’s experience during Wednesday’s run chase – the Victorian scored a record ten centuries during ODI run chases, five more than any women’s player in history, while she averaged a staggering 65.62 in the second innings.
While the standard of other national women’s teams has improved drastically over the past few years, the Australian team’s performance has plateaued since the loss of Lanning and former vice-captain Rachael Haynes. After losing a bilateral ODI series against England last year, Australia conceded the highest successful run chase in women’s T20I history courtesy of a record-breaking knock from West Indies captain Hayley Matthews.
Last week, South Africa clinched its first women’s T20I victory over Australia, a six-wicket win in Canberra, while Wednesday’s triumph proved the result was no fluke. After failing to register a victory over Australia in 23 attempts over 27 years, the Proteas have achieved the feat twice in less than a fortnight.
South Africa performed superbly in all three facets of the game at North Sydney Oval, but the Australians let themselves down in the field, dropping five catches throughout the rain-affected contest. Healy dropped a dolly off Garth’s bowling to give Kapp an additional life on 45, while superstar all-rounder Ellyse Perry bottled a chance in the outfield while Anneke Bosch was on 1, with the South African eventually scoring 44.
“I don’t think we can really blame the conditions,” Garth said.
“Nobody means to drop them. Everyone drops catches I guess.”
Kapp, who finished with figures of 3-12 from five overs, pitched up and hooped the Kookaburra around corners, while Australia’s quicks persisted with a good length as several deliveries sailed past the outside edge.
“I could have probably hit the stumps a bit more,” Garth confessed.
“It kind of took out a few modes of dismissal in terms of just not hitting the stumps as much as I’d like.”
During the run chase, Australian batter Beth Mooney was knocked over by an absolute gem from Kapp, but Healy and all-rounder Annabel Sutherland only have themselves to blame for their dismissals, swatting at deliveries that could have been safely left alone.
The hosts still have a 6-4 lead in the multi-format series, which resumes with the third ODI at North Sydney Oval on Saturday at 2.40pm AEDT.
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