Cricket
SA destroy Samoa at U19 Women’s T20 World Cup─── MORGAN PIEK 13:28 Mon, 20 Jan 2025
South Africa made a big statement on Monday at the 2025 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, being played in Malaysia, by reaching the Super Six stage in emphatic style.
The Junior Proteas beat debutants Samoa by a convincing ten wickets for back-to-back victories at the World Cup, ensuring their advancement to the next round.
Samoa batted first in Kuching but were bowled out for just 16 runs in 9.1 overs. Nthabiseng Nini delivered an exceptional performance, taking 3/4 in 2 overs, while only ten runs came off the bat. The Proteas bowled six wides, making extras the highest contributor in Samoa’s innings.
Lowest ever
This is the new record for the lowest-ever score at an under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and beats the previous lowest of 23 all out by Malaysia, which was set a day prior when Sri Lanka thrashed the host nation by 162 runs in Kuala Lumpur.
Avetia Mapu and Stella Sagalala each scored three runs for Samoa, who were playing their first-ever cricket World Cup game. However, five ducks in the lineup gave Samoa no chance of posting a competitive score, largely due to a fine bowling display by the South Africans.
Nthabiseng Nini. Photo: CSA
In addition to Nini’s three wickets, leg-spinner Seshnie Naidu took 2/0 in 2 overs, Fay Cowling claimed 2/4, and captain Kayla Reyneke chipped with 2/5.
In reply, Simone Lourens and Jemma Botha each scored six not out as they chased the target in just 1.4 overs. Lourens could have possibly finished the game in the first over, but three quality strokes fell short of the boundary due to the super-slow outfield.
An emotional Nini was rightly named Player of the Match for her fine bowling performance. She described the day as a very special moment in her young career.
“My performance in today’s game feels really special,” said Nini.
Seshnie Naidu. Photo: CSA
“What worked best for me was keeping it simple and applying what I’ve practised. The motivation from our management – reminding us to treat ‘every ball as an event’ – played a significant role in my performance today.”
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, Nigeria pulled off a major surprise by beating the much-fancied New Zealand team by two runs. Nigeria scored 65/6 in their innings, which was reduced to 13 overs, and then restricted New Zealand to 63/6 in their allotted 13 overs.
South Africa and Nigeria will go head-to-head on Wednesday, with the winner set to finish at the top of the group. This game in Kuching is scheduled to get underway at 8:30.
