Ricky Ponting has been surpassed as the most successful captain in ICC tournaments.
Meg Lanning has elevated herself into the history books thanks to Australia’s triumph over South Africa in the 2023 T20 World Cup final last weekend, beyond a previous high-mark set by former men’s captain Ricky Ponting. The 19-run victory over the tournament hosts in Cape Town saw the Aussies win back-to-back World Cup titles, defending their triumph from 2020.
In doing so, Lanning was lifted into rarified air, with her fifth ICC title as captain seeing her surpass Ponting as the most skipper in international tournaments. In addition to the aforementioned World Cup triumphs, Lanning has also lead Australia to victory in the 2014 and 2018 T20 World Cups, as well as the 2022 ODI World Cup.
The latest success under Lanning made a further mockery of the team’s exclusion from the list of nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards’ team of the year. Guided by a swashbuckling and unbeaten 74 from 53 deliveries by Beth Mooney, the visitors were able to hold off the Proteas in a tense finish.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, Australia were able to defend their total of 156, restricting South Africa to 6-137 in reply. Among a fine combined effort from the Australian bowlers, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown and Jess Jonassen also each took a key wicket as the Australians won a 13th world title in all in white-ball cricket.
Australia didn’t notch up the victory at a canter, though. Laura Wolvaardt’s 48-ball 61 and Shabnim Ismail’s 4-1-26-2 inspired romantic hopes of an historic win for the first-time World Cup finalists South Africa.
Opener Wolvaardt had put the hosts within 48 runs of a win with her third straight fifty that anchored a 35-ball 55 partnership with Chloe Tryon. But Schutt trapped Wolvaardt lbw in 17th over, leaving too much to do for Tryon, who fell for 25 off 23.
Earlier, Mooney’s quickfire 15-ball 33 stand with No.6 Ellyse Perry (seven off 5 balls) ensured the defending champions scored 46 in the death overs. The left-handed opener Mooney’s clutch innings, reminiscent of her match-winning fifties in the finals of the 2020 T20 World Cup, the 2022 ODI World Cup and the Commonwealth Games final, again proved indispensable.
Source : yahoo sports
