Room for improvement in match-winning knock: Mooney

Fresh off top-scoring in Australia’s T20 series opener, Beth Mooney says she will still "go back to the drawing board a bit" with the Australian batter believing she has room for improvement.

Mooney steered Australia to an eight-wicket win against South Africa at Manuka Oval, scoring an unbeaten 72 from 57 deliveries.

The hosts reeled in their target of 148 with five balls to spare, but after Alyssa Healy’s rapid 46 – which saw Australia score at more than nine runs per over during her eight overs in the middle – their momentum stalled.

With 76 required from the final 72 balls when Mooney was joined by first drop Tahlia McGrath, the Proteas attack pushed the game to the final over.

Mooney gave credit to the way South Africa’s attack recovered from a shaky start, but said she and McGrath, who hit 24 from 30, would also look to reassess their approach in the short turnaround before Sunday’s second T20I at the same venue.

"With Midge going well at the start of the game, I didn't have to do a whole lot other than try and get her on strike and then perhaps (McGrath) and I lost our way through the middle after that big partnership," Mooney told reporters after the game.

"I thought South Africa actually executed their plans and deliveries quite well and made it a little bit difficult for us through the middle to score.

"We'll have to have a look at that and come up with some options.

"In an ideal world, it wouldn't have taken until the last over but sometimes that happens in T20 cricket and you can't quite adjust as quickly as you'd like.

"Towards the end I was hitting them all right, which is which is good for me heading into tomorrow."

It was Mooney’s second consecutive T20I fifty and her innings on Saturday followed a similar script to her previous one in the series decider against India in Mumbai earlier this month.

There, where she overcame a similarly conservative start to finish unbeaten on 52 from 45.

While pleased to have been able to find her way to significant, match-sealing scores in both innings, Mooney will nonetheless seek improvement come Sunday.

"You obviously want to hit the ball as clean as you can every time you walk out there and sometimes it doesn't always work like that," she continued.

"From my point of view, I don't want to make the game harder for anyone else – if I'm struggling a little bit and then getting out … someone else has to come in and perhaps it's a little bit harder (for them).

"So for me, it's about just coming up with good plans and sticking to them and making sure I execute where possible.

"I missed a couple of ramp shots today, but I still think they were pretty good options.

"So just probably going back to the drawing board a bit, and having a chat with Shell (Nitschke) and (Dan Marsh) and T-Mac about what we'll do differently through the middle tomorrow if that happens again."

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt also would have bowled first had she won the toss, and Mooney said if Australia were to bat first on Sunday, they would likely need to post at least 160 against the strong Proteas’ line-up.

Australia have lost three of their last four T20Is when batting first, and with a T20 World Cup looming later this year, opting to set South Africa a total could also prove an ideal chance to address that facet of their game.

"We've played a lot of cricket here at Manuka Oval and we know whether it's been international cricket or the WBBL, chasing is a little bit easier here once you know the target," Mooney said.

"It's generally a pretty flat wicket – we know it's probably been a little bit different in the last 18 months and perhaps not as high scoring.

"We've got some very smart cricketers in our dressing room, not just staff, but players as well.

"I'm sure there'll be a lot of ideas floated about and make sure come tomorrow we're ready to go."

South Africa opener Tazmin Brits, who carried her bat in an unbeaten 59, said she thought a total above 170 could have pushed the deep Australian batting line-up.

The 33-year-old is touring Australia for the first time and said this series would be a steep learning curve for herself and a number of her teammates as they look to beat the hosts for the first time in any format.

"I think our bowlers have got to hit the proper line and lengths, like the Aussies did, I think we were a bit all over the show," Brits told reporters.

"With the batting as well, we didn't build partnerships which we should have also done – that also automatically always adds 10 or 15 runs even if it's just getting off strike.

"(But) I'm happy to be here because I've only played the Aussies twice in my life and that was in the (2023) World Cup – I've never seen bowlers like this, I don't play in the big leagues, so this is new to me.

"From a team perspective, once again, we've also never played (T20Is) in Australia against Australia, so the girls' eyes are opening and they're actually seeing what it's about and also getting to know the bowlers, as we only have four or five players that actually play in (the WBBL).

"I think we can only take positivity out of it, even if things maybe don't go our way ... they are the world's best, it's supposed to be a challenge at the end of the day."

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