Healy brushes off illness to lay platform in win over Proteas

Alyssa Healy has brushed off illness to hammer a fiery 46, paving the way for an eight-wicket win over South Africa in the opening T20 at Manuka Oval.

Opener Tazmin Brits anchored South Africa’s innings with an unbeaten 59 from 54 to steer her side to 6-147, their highest T20I total against Australia.

But it was not enough to trouble the Australians – after Healy’s blazing 46 from 28 balls laid the foundation for the hosts, Beth Mooney (72no from 57) iced victory with five balls to spare.

Healy had been in doubt for the series opener as she battled illness, but if the Australian captain was still fatigued it did not show as she immediately took the attack to the Proteas bowlers.

She dispatched Nonkululeko Mlaba for four to get off the mark then again went after the left-arm spinner in the seventh over, smacking 16 runs including two sixes.

But her charge towards fifty was halted on 46 when Sune Luus took a brilliant catch diving forward in the deep off the bowling of Nadine de Klerk, breaking a 72-run opening stand.

Healy’s departure, which came with Australia needing 76 from 72, sapped momentum from the Australian charge, with neither Mooney nor Tahlia McGrath finding the same fluency as their skipper.

But the captain’s start had taken the pressure off, giving Mooney, who had looked uncomfortable early, time to work into her innings.

Given a life on 42 when Ayabonga Khaka dropped a sitter at mid-off, Mooney then made the Proteas pay, smacking back-to-back boundaries as she brought up a 44-ball half-century.

Marizanne Kapp boosted Proteas’ spirits when she had McGrath, who struggled for fluency during her 24 from 30 balls, bowled in the 18th over.

Chloe Tryon (0-13 from three) and de Klerk (1-25 from four) had scrapped hard through the middle overs to ensure it was not an entirely straightforward chase for the Australians, pushing it to the final over where the hosts required six runs.

But any hopes of a miracle win were dashed when Khaka bowled a no ball and Mooney promptly dispatched a monster six onto the concourse to seal victory.

Earlier, Ellyse Perry (2-13) and Darcie Brown (2-20) helped restrict South Africa to 6-147 after putting the tourists in to bat first.

Laura Wolvaardt made an ominous start hitting boundaries off the first two Megan Schutt deliveries she faced.

She struck a third, but her promising start came to an abrupt end thanks to Darcie Brown, who had the South African captain cutting firmly but directly to Georgia Wareham at backward point.

Brown had a second when Kapp edged to Beth Mooney at slip, leaving the tourists 2-30.

A clever review from Healy saw the end of Luus’ innings on 19, with the Australian captain taking a sharp chance down legside.

On-field umpire Sue Redfern was unmoved, but UltraEdge showed the ball had glanced Luus’ glove.

Brits had taken nine balls to get off the mark and was bogged down early, but after digging in and then being gifted a life on seven, she found her groove in the midway point of the innings.

It appeared Grace Harris had taken an outstanding catch on the boundary, but the Australian confirmed her foot had touched the rope, instead handing Brits the first of her two sixes.

She then took the attack to the Australians alongside Anneke Bosch, with the pair hitting three sixes off one Wareham over.

Brits went on to post a half-century from 45 deliveries, but she did not receive the late-innings support the Proteas sorely needed from their powerful middle-order batters; Bosch holed out on 14, before Tryon (12 from 13) and de Klerk (10 from six) followed.

Perry, handed the ball in a T20 International for the first time since July last year, bowled with impressive control and pace and was rewarded with the wickets of Bosch and Tryon.

Australia hold a two-nil lead in the multi-format series, which will feature two more T20Is, three ODIs and a Test across the next month.

Manuka Oval will host the second T20 on Sunday morning before the series shifts to Hobart on Tuesday.

Women's CommBank T20I Series v South Africa

*Australia lead the multi-format series 2-0

January 27: Australia won by 8 wickets

January 28: Second T20, Manuka Oval, Canberra 10.45am

January 30: Third T20, Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.05pm

Women's CommBank ODI Series v South Africa

February 3: First ODI, Adelaide Oval, 2.10pm

February 7: Second ODI, North Sydney Oval, 2.40pm

February 10: Third ODI, North Sydney Oval, 2.40pm

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris*, Jess Jonassen, Alana King**, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham *T20s only | **ODIs only

South Africa squad (T20Is & ODIs): Laura Wolvaardt (c), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Mieke de Ridder (wk), Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker

Women's CommBank Test Match v South Africa

February 15-18: Only Test, WACA Ground, Perth 11.00am