England sit top of Group B at Women's T20 World Cup after seven-wicket win over South Africa; Nat Sciver-Brunt (48no off 36) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (43 off 43) take side to target of 125 with four balls to spare; spinners star as England limit Proteas despite dropping four catches
Tuesday 8 October 2024 06:09, UK
England made it two wins from two at the Women's T20 World Cup as their spinners and batters Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt starred in a seven-wicket win over South Africa in Sharjah.
After limiting Bangladesh to 97-7 at the same ground on Saturday, Heather Knight's side restricted South Africa - the team that beat them in the semi-finals of the 2023 T20 World Cup - to 124-6 two days later, with left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone bagging 2-15.
England then reached their target with four balls to spare - Nat Sciver-Brunt (48no off 36) striking the winning boundary after sharing a 64-run stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge (43 off 43) for the third wicket from 50-2 following the exits of Maia Bouchier (8 off 20) and Alice Capsey (19 off 16).
England now sit top of Group B, with further pool matches against Scotland on Sunday and West Indies next Tuesday to come, both live on Sky Sports, as they target a first T20 World Cup title since the inaugural edition on home soil in 2009.
South Africa - 10-wicket winners over West Indies in their opening fixture - are third in the pool, behind West Indies on net-run rate, but with Scotland and Bangladesh left to play, they will fancy their chances of securing a top-two spot and making the semi-finals.
Knight's side were sloppy in the field in the first half of the South Africa innings, shelling four catches in total with Tazmin Brits (13) dropped on nought and 12 - Knight at slip and Sarah Glenn at short fine leg the fielders - before Brits holed out off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith (1-32).
Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 39) was another player to get a lifeline, grassed by England wicketkeeper Amy Jones on 22 after edging Ecclestone behind but the bowler finally castled Wolvaardt in the 16th over as the right-hander heaved across the line.
England strangled South Africa's run rate after the departure of Brits, with Anneka Bosch bowled for a torturous 18 from 26 balls as she looked to sweep leg-spinner Glenn (1-18).
Marizanne Kapp fired fleetingly with her 26 off 17 balls including successive boundaries off Charlie Dean (1-25) but she was then cleaned up by Ecclestone in a four-run 19th over, as the England bowler rebounded from going wicketless in the 21-run win over Bangladesh on Saturday.
Sciver-Brunt, the only seamer deployed by England, did not take a wicket with her bowling but did run out Sune Luus after deflecting an Annerie Dercksen drive back onto the non-striker's stumps in the final over, before Dercksen (20no) thumped and edged consecutive fours.
England stuttered at the start of the chase, with Kapp sending down an opening-over maiden and then pinning Bouchier lbw halfway through the fifth over to end the opener's sketchy, jittery innings with the batting side having just 16 runs on the board.
Capsey should then have been dismissed for a duck, only for Bosch to spill a fairly routine chance at backward point, and the England No 3 went on to strike three boundaries before she chipped a slower ball tamely back to South Africa seamer Nadine de Klerk.
England were guilty of throwing away wickets cheaply in the victory over Bangladesh at the weekend but Wyatt-Hodge - who had top scored in that match with 40 from 41 balls - and Sciver-Brunt ensured that did not happen again, although a few loose shots did evade the fielders.
South Africa's last hope appeared to come when Kapp, whose first three overs were taken for only five runs in total, returned to bowl her last with England's requirement 43 from 36 balls.
But Kapp conceded 12 runs - eight of them off Sciver-Brunt boundaries - as England cut their ask to 31 from 30 deliveries, a position of strength they did not relinquish, despite Wyatt's late stumping dismissal.
England captain Heather Knight: "It was a really controlled win, we really restricted them. It's tricky to chase out here but we controlled that chase brilliantly, kept a calm and level head.
"That partnership of Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge was brilliant to watch."
Player of the Match, 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."
England return to action against Scotland in Sharjah on Sunday, with that match live on Sky Sports from 10.30am ahead of the first ball at 11am.
South Africa play twice more this week, against Scotland in Dubai on Wednesday (11am start) before rounding out their group campaign versus Bangladesh at the same venue on Saturday (3pm).
Tuesday's match at the T20 World Cup is the Group A cracker between defending champions Australia and New Zealand in Sharjah, with both looking for successive wins.
Australia defeated Sri Lanka in their opening fixture, while New Zealand upset India.
Watch every match from the Women's T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports, up to and including the final on Sunday October 20.
