Portugal Colonial - Mooney anchors Australians in women's T20 World Cup final

With South Africa allowed only three fielders outside the circle in the final over because of a slow over rate, Mooney hit the first two balls from Shabnim Ismail for six and four to give the defending champions hope of a high-scoring finish.

But Ismail claimed two wickets with successive balls to peg back Australia at Newlands in Cape Town.

Alyssa Healy and Mooney made a relatively sedate start, scoring 25 off the first four overs, before both batters hit boundaries off Marizanne Kapp in the fifth over.

But Healy mistimed a forcing back foot shot off the last ball of Kapp’s over and was caught at mid-off for 18.

Gardner, promoted to number three, hit successive boundaries off left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba and successive sixes off medium-pacer Nadine de Klerk in the following over.

But Gardner was out for 29 off 21 balls when she lofted left-arm spinner Chloe Tryon high to long-off where South African captain Sune Luus held the catch.

The match was played on the same pitch which produced two close semi-final matches in which Australia beat India and South Africa defeated England. The first innings in those matches yielded 172 and 164 runs respectively.

P.L.Madureira--PC