DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits fired South Africa to a crushing 10-wicket win over the West Indies in their opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Friday.
Left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba set up the win with bowling figures of 4-29 to restrict 2016 champions West Indies to 118-6 in Dubai.
Wolvaardt, who hit 59, and Brits, who made 57, then took charge to steer last year’s finalists to 119-0 in 17.5 overs.
“It was a very disappointing game and not the way we wanted to start,” said West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews. “We have a game in two days, and we have to bounce back quickly.”
West Indies face Scotland on Sunday at the same venue, called the Ring of Fire, due to the floodlights all around the ground. South Africa will take on England in Sharjah on Monday.
On Friday, Wolvaardt was tested early in her knock by the West Indies bowlers, but once she found rhythm, the right-handed opener reached her 50 in 45 balls.
“Not that easy,” Wolvaardt said of her performance in the extreme heat of Dubai. “One of the harder knocks I have had physically, especially after fielding first.”
Brits also raised her half-ton in 45 balls and ended her knock with six boundaries.
Wolvaardt survived reprieves on five and 33 — on both occasions, a return catch dropped by the bowler, and on the first, West Indies’ Zaida James getting cut on her jaw when the ball ricocheted off the hand.
James, a left-arm spinner who shared the new ball with Chinelle Henry, left the field with a swollen jaw after just bowling one ball of her first over and never returned.
Earlier, the West Indies suffered from regular wicket-fall and struggled to put up a fighting total despite an unbeaten 44 from number-three batter Stafanie Taylor.
Marizanne Kapp, a medium-fast bowler, struck first with the wicket of Matthews, out for 10, and soon Mlaba sent back Qiana Joseph for four.
Mlaba, named player of the match, kept the batters in a spin with her change of pace and angle and took two wickets in two overs to flatten the West Indian batting.
Kapp returned figures of 2-14, including the wicket of Deandra Dottin, who reversed her retirement decision for this edition of the tournament.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies
*Hayley Matthews c Jafta b Kapp 10
Qiana Joseph b Mlaba 4
Stafanie Taylor not out of 44
Deandra Dottin c Wolvaardt b Kapp 13
+Shemaine Campbelle b Mlaba 17
Chinelle Henry c Jafta b Mlaba 0
Aaliyah Alleyne c Brits b Mlaba 7
Zaida James is not out 15
Extras (lb1, w7) 8
Total (six wickets; 20 overs) 118
Did not bat: Afy Fletcher, Karishma Ramharack, Shamilia Connell.
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-18, 3-32, 4-62, 5-62, 6-83.
Bowling: Kapp 4-0-14-2, Khaka 3-1-12-0, Mlaba 4-0-29-4, Tryon 4-0- 23-0, de Klerk 2-0-14-0, Dercksen 1-0-14-0.
South Africa
*Laura Wolvaardt is not out of 59
Tazmin Brits is not out of 57
Extras (lb1, w2) 3
Total (without loss; 17.5 overs) 119
Did not bat: Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta+, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka.
Bowling: Henry 2-0-20-0, James 0.1-0-1-0, Joseph 1.5-0-9-0, Matthews 4-0-22-0, Ramharack 3.5-0-22-0, Fletcher 3-0-24-0,
Alleyne 2-0-11-0, Connell 1-0-8-0.
Player-of-the-Match: Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Umpires: Nimali Perera Vrinda Rathi.
TV Umpire: Kim Cotton.
Match referee: Michell Pereira.
Reserve umpire: Eloise Sheridan.