🔗 Share this article

With an emphatic beginning to their World Cup, the English side secured a resounding 10-wicket win on Friday, after bowling out South Africa for a paltry 69 runs in merely 20.4 overs – marking the third poorest total in the South African annals.

Shocking Collapse from South Africa

Although the Proteas showing as a strong force in world women's cricket recently, following their the championship match of the T20 World Cup last year and featuring in the penultimate round of the previous 50-over tournament, this display was puzzling and disappointing. Solely one batter, wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta, attained double figures, and multiple of their batters were bowled out on a good pitch that seldom played erratically.

The English Dominant Reply

In reply, England’s new-look starting duo of Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones wasted no time of the chase, completing the match with 215 balls to spare – their opening World Cup success earned in barely three hours. Maybe of greater significance in what might be a competitive group stage competition, the English net run rate is now a impressive 3.77.

Attack Establishes the Standard

Following England won the toss and chose to bowl the opposition, Linsey Smith’s opening spell set the tone, the slow left-armer recording a remarkable figures of 4-2-7-3 in her debut 50-over World Cup fixture. She grabbed a smart return catch to see off the captain Laura Wolvaardt, before drifting the ball in to bowl Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp.

Leader’s Dream Return

Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt brought herself on as initial replacement and experienced a perfect comeback to elite bowling, catching Anneke Bosch plumb in front with her first ball since the Ashes series. In her following over, Chloe Tryon offered a weak leading edge to Alice Capsey at the on-side, as South Africa sunk to 38 for six within the opening 11 overs.

In light of Sciver-Brunt’s gradual return to bowling form over the previous nine months, there had been discussion as to what quantity of overs she might manage in this fixture, with the team opting to play both Capsey and Emma Lamb partly to guarantee there were alternative bowling options.

Precise Finish

But three overs were sufficient of Sciver-Brunt: a duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean efficiently finished off the South African remaining batters. Heather Knight, making a comeback after a extended battle with a muscle issue, looked raring to go: she was not required with the batting duties on this instance, but did hold onto a quick mid-level catch at first slip which put an end to Nadine de Klerk.

Fielding Hardly Tested

The English fielding effort – so often scrutinized these days – was barely examined here. Instead it was the opposition who bungled the possibility to run out Jones at the start, while Masabata Klaas missed a easy return catch proffered up by Jones on 31 – the Proteas' top opening of securing a breakthrough. Instead, Jones kept on to hit the ball straight, concluding unbeaten on 40. World Cup cricket has rarely been this straightforward.