Australia Women vs South Africa Women: Live Cricket Score

Overs3.5 Score24 - 2 Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Ismail is back and how. Her first wicket since coming back from retirement. She is pumped up and understandably so, as this is a huge, huge wicket for South Africa. Ismail bowls it wide outside off, on a fuller length. Beth Mooney was better off leaving it alone, but she tries to reach out for it to drive it away, flirts with the ball that angles away and only manages to get a faint outside edge behind to Sinalo Jafta. A simple, straightforward catch for Jafta. Australia Women are 24/2 as Mooney falls for a low score.

1

Overs2.4 Score10 - 1 Marizanne Kapp to Phoebe Litchfield, Risky run! A direct hit and Litchfield was a goner. Back of a length, on off. Phoebe Litchfield knocks it in front of the cover fielder and rushes through for the single. She is forced to put in a dive but the fielder misses her shy at the bowler's end. Oh, even a dive couldn't have saved her there.

4

Overs1.3 Score6 - 1 Shabnim Ismail to Phoebe Litchfield, FOUR! Off the edge! Back of a length, skidding through, outside off. Phoebe Litchfield hangs her bat away from the body to punch it to the off side, but the ball stays low and squirts off the bottom edge. Beats Chloe Tryon at first slip to her right and races away to the deep third fence.

W

Overs0.5 Score1 - 1 Marizanne Kapp to Georgia Voll, OUT! TAKEN! Immaculate line and length from Kapp and the Proteas have their first breakthrough already. Kapp hits the hard length, straight on the bodyline. Georgia Voll is cramped up for room but goes through for the pull shot. Mistimes it badly to the right of the mid-wicket fielder. Kayla Reyneke dives to her right and takes a sharp catch. Australia Women are 1/1 as Voll goes for a four-baller.

Time for the national anthems - We are all set for the action to begin. The flags of both nations have been unfurled. Both sides, along with the match officials, stride out in the middle and line up for their respective national anthems. It will be South Africa's national anthem first, followed by that of Australia.

Australia's star all-rounder is up for a chat - Ellyse Perry, on being part of another World Cup, says she's just excited for the chance to play another edition, adding that it keeps getting bigger each time, which is great for women's cricket. On Australia not being the defending champions, she notes every edition is a clean slate for every team, coming after a two-year gap. She points to the strength across the competition and reckons it's never just about winning or defending a title, it's about playing good cricket. About their opponents, South Africa, she admits they have amazing depth and proven performers, adding that the practice matches against them showed just how real a threat they are. On facing Shabnim Ismail, she calls her a real competitor who brings plenty of energy and pace, and says it's always a nice contest whenever she's in the mix.

PITCH REPORT - Nasser Hussain is pitchside and says not a lot has changed from the first game, and in fact, he reckons that it has gotten a lot brighter with a strong breeze sweeping across. About the dimensions, he informs that there is just 1 meter difference between the square boundaries, with one measuring 60 meters, and the other, 61 meters, while it is 70 meters down the ground. Julia Price joins him and highlights that Scotland batted really well in the first game, though she believes they may have left a few runs, suggesting this could be a 180-plus surface. Calls it a very good pitch with plenty of grass cover. She credits Scotland's bowlers for shutting down the chase by pulling their lengths back. Highlights that Ireland bowled fuller, around the four metre mark, while Scotland's spinners operated quicker, closer to 4.8 metres, with spinners picking up six wickets between them in the second innings. She also points out the breeze caused trouble for the pace bowlers, adding to the variety on show. With Australia fielding four spinners of their own, she expects spin to play a big role as two heavyweight sides square off on a pitch she rates highly.

The captain of South Africa Women - Laura Wolvaardt says she doesn't mind bowling first as her side has a very good record chasing. Laura adds that they have got a good bit of prep heading into this game and a better idea of the conditions as well. Wolvaardt admits that it has been a really tough job picking 11 from the bunch of 15, but the team management has done well to get the best possible XI. Laura adds that Shabnim Ismail is back in the mix and the way she has been working in the buildup to the tournament, it never felt that she had left, and there is a lot of hope resting on her shoulders.

The captain of Australia Women - Sophie Molineux says that they are going to bat first. Adds that the pitch is on the slower side, so they will put the pressure on the opposition later. She reckons that their warm-up matches went well. She ends by saying that the pitch suits her and that she is loving every moment and every challenge of being the captain of their side.