Veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp’s relentless masterclass helped South Africa end India’s unbeaten streak in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on 21st June. In a high-stakes contest at Old Trafford, Manchester, South Africa completed a six-wicket win against the Women in Blue. Taking advantage of a very undisciplined Indian fielding display, the Proteas comfortably chased down a competitive target of 159 with five balls to spare.
India opted to bat first and seemed on course for a huge total after a blazing powerplay blitz. Explosive opener Shafali Verma was in aggressive mood early on blasting a quickfire 31 off just 15 balls, while vice-captain Smriti Mandhana played a brisk 17. India were 59 for 2 in the first six overs after the opening pair. But South Africa’s experienced bowling attack fought back hard. Shabnim Ismail (2/28) and Marizanne Kapp (2/27) throttled the run flow in the middle overs.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who became the first cricketer to play a landmark 200 T20 Internationals, provided the backbone with a steady 24. She added a vital 33-run stand with Deepti Sharma, who was the highest scorer with 29 off 21 balls. India’s lower order caved in under clinical death-bowling pressure despite their rescue acts, losing wickets in quick successions to settle for a below-par 158/7.
The South African chase suffered early speed bumps, slumping to 25/2 inside the powerplay as debutant spinner Prema Rawat applied early pressure. Shree Charani, the young lad, bowled very bravely too and turned out to be India’s main weapon with clinical figures of 3 for 24. But the whole complexion of the game changed dramatically on the back of poor Indian fielding. Radha Yadav took two key catches, including a life early in Kapp’s innings.
Kapp made India pay dearly for those costly life-lines. The 36-year-old staged an absolute clinic, unleashing a stunning counter-assault that combined smart strike rotation with towering maximums. Kapp was at the other end with Tazmin Brits (40 off 36 balls) and she reached a fluent half-century off just 34 balls. She remained unflustered till the end, ending on a resplendent unbeaten 81 off 45 balls. Chloe Tryon hit the winning boundary in the final over to seal the famous chase. The loss was deflating but India remain second in Group 1 with four points on a superior Net Run Rate of 2.511.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
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