3 reasons why South Africa can defeat Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup final

After over two weeks of scintillating drama and thrilling games of cricket in South Africa, it all comes down to this. The hosts will be up against defending champions Australia in the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023, taking place at Newlands, Cape Town.

The Aussies are the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far, playing in their seventh consecutive T20 World Cup final. They've won the trophy on five occasions, including a three-peat from 2010-2014. After losing in 2016, they'll be hoping for another three-peat after winning the last two editions in 2018 and 2020.

South Africa, on the other hand, had to fight tooth and nail to get through to the knockout rounds of the tournament. After losing to Sri Lanka in their opening game, they've come a long way to become the first Proteas team (men or women) to play in the final in an ICC event.

The Australians will start the game as favorites in this contest, looking to add another title to their long list of trophies. However, Sune Luus and her side will have to give it their all to stop the Australian juggernaut.

On that note, we take a look at three reasons why South Africa can defeat Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup final:

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#1 Australia have shown they're vulnerable

Australia managed to sneak over the line in a humdinger of a game against India after being behind the eight-ball for a significant chunk of that run chase.

It took one good partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur to get India close to the finish line. South Africa would have made note of that, realizing there are certain bowlers they can look to target throughout their innings.

Even in the bowling department, India's focus in the semi-finals was on damage limitation. The plan worked for the most part until the final over went for 18 runs, which was the difference between the two sides. Throughout that semi-final, Australia showed signs of being vulnerable against quality cricket.

However, talking about playing quality cricket and executing those plans to perfection are two different things altogether. South Africa will need to walk the talk and get themselves into the thick of things to have a shot at glory.

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#2 South Africa have a strong bowling unit

It's no hidden fact that South Africa boast one of the best bowling units in the world. Shabnim Ismail can rattle batters with her pace, recently recording a ball at 80mph in the semi-finals against England. Ayabonga Khaka and Marizanne Kapp provide enough support in that regard, completing the pace battery.

Nonkululeko Mlaba has been the pick of the Proteas bowlers throughout this tournament, bewildering batters for fun. To round up the bowling unit, the captain has enough options with Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, and even Anneke Bosch to roll their arms over and contribute as and when required.

Against an Australian side that bats with intent and is fairly deep, the South African bowlers will have to be at the top of their game. They did face one of the best batting units in the semi-finals and did well against them. If they manage to do the same in the final, they could etch their name in the history books.

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#3 Proteas will have home support

The support and backing of the home crowd cannot be understated in major sports tournaments, and it's no different for this one. The support from the South African crowd has been overwhelming, Sune Luus admitted after the first match against Sri Lanka.

Despite the disappointment in the tournament opener, the crowds have continued to back their side and fill in the stadiums to show their support for women's cricket. The crowd also played their part as the 12th man in the semi-final against England, with a rollicking atmosphere as this team became the first-ever South African side to play in a final of an ICC event.

If history is anything go by, the crowd support in the final does tend to play a part as well. England won the World Cup in their own backyard at Lord's in 2017. Australia won the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in a packed house in Melbourne. If South Africa manage to do the same in Cape Town, this will go down as a red letter day in the history books.