The unpredictable Englishman suffered his first career defeat in May when Usyk won by split decision to become the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era
sports2 days ago
South Africa produced a superb all-round performance to thrash Scotland by 80 runs in their Group B match at the Women's T20 World Cup in Dubai on Wednesday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, South Africa chalked up a tournament high 166-5 in their 20 overs with captain Laura Wolvaardt (40), Tazmin Brits (43) and Marizanne Kapp (43) all feasting on some weak bowling and poor fielding.
Scotland, playing in their first World Cup, were never in the chase and slumped to 80 all out in 17.5 overs to be eliminated from the tournament after three successive defeats.
"We felt the best chance to win the game was to put a lot of runs on the board and restrict them," said Wolvaardt.
"We wanted to be ruthless and show what we are about and kill it off the way we did."
The win lifts South Africa, beaten by Australia in the final of the 2023 edition, to the top of Group B while Scotland, who had already lost to Bangladesh and West Indies, remain bottom.
Scotland made life hard for themselves, dropping a simple chance when Wolvaardt was on just two.
The skipper made them pay as she clubbed five fours and a six in her 27-ball 40 which took her past Lizelle Lee's 1,896 runs to become South Africa's top-scorer in T20I cricket.
She fell to a fine catch by Olivia Bell but Scotland again blotted their copybook with another bad drop which reprieved Anneke Bosch on three.
Brits hit five fours and a six in her 43 while Kapp smashed her 43 off just 23 balls, enough to give her the player of the match award.
"I was a little bit nervous at the start," she said.
"(We) knew the wicket was going to be slow. it played a lot slower than our first game. Luckily, it came off."
The Scotland reply never got going, only Katherine Fraser (14) and Ailsa Lister (12) making it into double figures.
Nonkululeko Mlaba was the most successful of the South African bowlers, picking up 3-12 in her four overs, while fellow left-arm spinner Chloe Tryon (2-22) became the first bowler to take two caught and bowled in a women's T20I.
South Africa play their final group game against Bangladesh in Dubai on Saturday, knowing that a win will give them a great chance of reaching the semifinals.
"Massive game for us, we need a win," said Wolvaardt. "This will give us a lot of confidence and hopefully we can hit the ground running for that game."
In Wednesday's late game in Dubai, India face Sri Lanka in Group A.
ALSO READ:
The unpredictable Englishman suffered his first career defeat in May when Usyk won by split decision to become the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era
sports2 days ago
The team from Portugal also claimed the championship title after a hard-fought four-round season
sports2 days ago
Tristan Jass and Jesser, who continue to captivate millions worldwide with their innovative content, encourage young basketball enthusiasts in the Middle East to come forward and create content
sports2 days ago
Fresh off his birthday, the teenager delivers consistency to lead the Boys 15-18 Elite Division, while Russia's Ailsa Molokanova dominates the Girls 15-18 field
sports3 days ago
Terry Fox launched an epic run on a prosthetic leg in 1980 across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research
sports3 days ago
With new faces participating this year, the teams have been reshuffled to make the league more thrilling than ever
sports3 days ago
Spain win the mixed team event in trials
sports3 days ago
Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and dished 10 assists and to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Cup title
sports3 days ago