Kapp powers South Africa past India in vital T20 World Cup win

Marizanne Kapp turned a pressure chase into South Africa’s defining win of the tournament, finishing unbeaten on 81 off 45 balls as South Africa beat India by six wickets at Old Trafford in Manchester. Her innings, backed by 2 for 27 with the ball, lifted South Africa to 161 for 4 in 19.1 overs after India had posted 158 for 7.

India had arrived with one of the most imposing names in the women’s game and found a brief burst of momentum through Shafali Verma, who struck 31 from 15 balls. Harmanpreet Kaur also reached a landmark, playing her 200th T20 international, but India’s total never became the control they needed despite a lively start and a crowd heavily behind them in Manchester. South Africa, ranked fifth in the ICC standings compared with India’s No. 3, absorbed the atmosphere and the scoreboard pressure.

The match swung on the 97-run partnership between Kapp and Tazmin Brits, which rescued South Africa after they had slipped to 25 for 2 at the end of the powerplay. Kapp’s four sixes gave the chase its tempo, but her value went beyond power hitting. She kept South Africa calm, rotated the strike when needed and then took the game away from India with the authority that comes from long experience at the top level.

Shabnim Ismail added 2 for 28, giving South Africa a disciplined bowling effort that limited India to a score that was competitive but ultimately vulnerable. The result kept South Africa’s semi-final hopes alive and gave the side a landmark in tournament history: their highest successful chase in a Women’s T20 World Cup and the third-highest successful chase overall.

For South Africa, the victory was about more than two points. It showed how a veteran such as Kapp, who has been in international cricket since 2009, can still reshape a global tournament with one composed, brutal innings. In a contest between two top-five sides, her unbeaten 81 underlined the depth and pressure handling that continue to raise the standard of the women’s game.