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‘An indomitable force’: International stars react to Australia’s triumph and commiserate with South Africa

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Meg Lanning’s incredible Australian side made it a hat-trick of T20 crowns with their victory over tournament hosts South Africa at Newlands on Sunday.

A first-innings total of 156/6 proved too much for South Africa to chase down, as the Australian attack delivered a masterclass in defending a total.

Australia finish the tournament with: the trophy, the Player of the Tournament award (thanks to Ash Gardner), two of the four leading run-scorers, and two of the three leading wicket-takers.

And the praise showered in from familiar names in the sport.

Australia’s triumph was built on the back of a Player of the Match knock from opening batter Beth Mooney.

And the continued brilliance of the batter (ranked second in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Batting Rankings) didn’t go unnoticed.

South Africa’s heartbreak means that the nation’s wait for a senior ICC World Cup win goes on.

But some excellent individual performances, a capacity crowd and a superb tournament overall represents a huge step forward for both the Proteas and women’s sport in South Africa as a whole.

Match highlights as Meg Lanning’s Australia beat South Africa in an entertaining final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in Cape Town.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup, South Africa, 2023Australia WomenSouth Africa WomenAustralia Women vs South Africa Women - FinalWomen's T20 World Cup