Australia's domination of women's cricket has been ended sensationally in Dubai after an inspired South Africa hammered them by eight wickets in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup.
After winning the last four World Cups - three in T20 and one at 50 overs - in a fantastic six-year reign, one of global sport's most successful teams were finally downed in a wholly unexpected one-sided affair on Thursday night.
Anneke Bosch proved their ultimate executioner, blasting the highest individual score of the tournament, 74 not out off just 48 balls, to make preposterously light work of their target of 135 with 16 balls to spare.
It means an Australian side won't feature in a global Women's T20 showpiece for the first time in 15 years as their hopes of a fourth triumph in a row were obliterated.
"It's gonna be pretty hard to take. We just didn't really show up tonight, and can't afford to do that in tournaments like this," said Australia's gloomy stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath, seeking no excuses.
After 15 straight match wins in the tournament stretching back four years, Australia, again without injured skipper Alyssa Healy, simply never fired after being put in to bat, battling to 5-134 against impressively tight South African bowling.
Beth Mooney top-scored with 44 off 42 balls but even the masterful leftie couldn't ever really break the shackles, as only a late blitz from Phoebe Litchfield (16no off nine) and Ellyse Perry (31 off 23) took the champions to a defendable target.
But South Africa, after revenge for their T20 final defeat on home soil in 2023 and feeling confident following a couple of white-ball wins in Australia earlier this year, made the target look a cakewalk with Bosch cracking eight fours and a six in the second-fastest 50 of the tournament.
She was aided by skipper Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 37) in a daring 96-run second-wicket partnership which showed up Australia's earlier scratchiness.
"I think they outplayed us tonight. We just weren't at our best," shrugged McGrath, another who struggled to eke out 27 off 33 balls after the early double shock of Australia losing Grace Harris and Georgia Wareham in the first three overs.
"We've had this World Cup in our minds for a very long time now. We worked really hard over the off-season, and we were really well prepped coming into here, felt like we left no stone unturned.
"But we just didn't show up on the night."
The Aussies had again been anchored by a typically steadfast opening effort from Mooney, who became the fastest woman to 3000 T20I runs during her knock.
But she looked weary by the time she was expertly run out by bowler Marizanne Kapp (1-24), who's having a cracking tournament.
The loss of dashing opener Healy, still nursing her foot injury, felt a particularly big miss as Australia mustered only 2-35 off the first six overs - their worst powerplay of the tournament.
Ayabonga Khaka (2-24) and spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba (1-31) were also outstanding for the Proteas, who are dreaming of becoming the first ever South Africa side, men or women, to win a world cricket crown.
The strong Aussie attack was then shredded by Wolvaardt and Bosch, who between them slapped 12 off Wareham and then 15 off Ash Gardner in consecutive mid-innings overs to effectively seal the deal.
In the final on Sunday in Dubai, South Africa will take on West Indies or New Zealand, who meet in the other semi-final in Sharjah on Friday.
McGrath and her team are left having to raise themselves for the home summer ODI series against India, trans-Tasman contests with New Zealand and a big Ashes campaign against England.
"We'll get around each other, we'll regroup and there's still plenty of cricket on the calendar," said McGrath.
