England’s batting improves in crucial win over SA

Women’s T20 World Cup, Group B, Sharjah

South Africa 124-6 (20 overs): Wolvaardt 42 (39); Ecclestone 2-15

England 125-3 (19.2 overs): Sciver-Brunt 48* (36), Wyatt-Hodge 43 (43)

England won by seven wickets

Scorecard. Table

A much-improved batting performance saw England seal a seven-wicket win over South Africa at the Women’s T20 World Cup.

On a more batter-friendly surface than the previous encounters at Sharjah, Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 43 and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 48 helped England reach their target of 125 with four balls to spare.

The pair rode their luck, with several chances falling short of fielders or into gaps, but were ultimately rewarded for taking calculated risks and smart running between the wickets – in stark contrast to the one-dimensional approach against Bangladesh.

Opener Maia Bouchier struggled as South Africa dominated the powerplay, before Alice Capsey – who was dropped on nought – added a dynamic 19 to take the sting out of the Proteas’ attack, before the experienced duo’s match-winning partnership of 64.

South Africa, who knocked England out of the previous T20 World Cup in 2023, were restricted to 124-6 after another stellar performance from England’s spinners.

Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt hit 42 but England squeezed the rest, with left-armer Sophie Ecclestone delivering an impeccable 2-15 and Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn claiming a wicket each.

All-rounder Marizanne Kapp threatened to finish the innings explosively before she was bowled by Ecclestone for a 17-ball 26, but Annerie Dercksen’s 20 from 11 balls secured a total over a run a ball, which have been hard to come by throughout this tournament.

England are in a promising position to finish top of Group B, and South Africa are still in contention for a semi-final spot as both teams take on winless Scotland next, with the Proteas playing on Wednesday and England on Saturday.

While the sluggish pitches and slow outfields at Sharjah have bamboozled many batters so far – including England’s – they have certainly played into the hands of the enviable array of spinners that Heather Knight has at her disposal.

The opening match against Bangladesh was a rare wicketless day for Ecclestone but she responded with a sublime spell on a pitch that offered just enough to aid the extra bounce from her height.

But there are still areas of concern for England. The spinners salvaged an uncertain batting effort against Bangladesh and here they had to make up for a shabby fielding performance, with four dropped catches.

Brits was dropped twice and Wolvaardt was put down on 22 as the pair continued their fine form following unbeaten half-centuries against West Indies in their first outing.

South Africa reached 37-1 after the powerplay, a decent score considering the tournament’s low-scoring trends, but England’s quartet of spinners turned the screw, with only 17 runs added between overs seven to 10.

Anneke Bosch stuttered her way to 18 from 26 balls, while the explosive Kapp and Chloe Tryon waited in the dugout, which aided England’s cause.

Ecclestone reaped the rewards, drawing a shot of frustration from Wolvaardt in the 16th over before Kapp, whose added impetus was vital but came too late, was bowled in a critical 19th over that included just four runs scored.

In a World Cup that is so far dominated by low scores and spinners, England are blessed and an in-form Ecclestone could prove to be the cheat code.

Experienced opener Wyatt-Hodge was the one batter to look close to comfortable against Bangladesh’s spinners and she followed suit against South Africa’s seam-heavy attack.

With Bouchier struggling at the other end, Wyatt-Hodge absorbed the pressure and quelled her natural attacking instincts.

Both her innings so far have been a masterclass in adapting to surface and situation.

Capsey clubbed three fours in her 16-ball knock, with her proactive approach putting South Africa on the back foot after England fell behind the required rate in the powerplay.

Both Capsey and Sciver-Brunt pulled and swept to throw the bowlers off their lengths, with the latter seeing England home by whacking Khaka over cover in style for the four runs that were required from her final over.

However, neither would have been able to play in such a manner without Wyatt’s gritty innings.

England captain Heather Knight: “It was a really controlled win, we really restricted them. It’s tricky to chase out here.

“We controlled that chase brilliantly, kept a calm and level head. That partnership of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge was brilliant to watch.”

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt: “Obviously very disappointed with the result, 10 to 20 more runs could have made it interesting and obviously we didn’t take our chances in the field either.”

Player of the match, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone: “It’s always great to do it against the world’s best and to get those two big wickets in Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp, I was happy.

“I am very lucky to have four spinners in the team. All of them are high-class players and we work well as a unit so I am absolutely buzzing to play alongside them.”