You would be mistaken to believe that England is not a credible contender for this World Cup. With a resounding victory over a helpless South Africa, who were dismissed for their lowest score against England, second-lowest at a World Cup, and third-lowest overall, they surged to the top of the points table.
In 14.1 overs, England managed to reach the target of just 70. The entire game lasted 34.5 overs, which is less than the length of a complete Twenty20 match. With a net run rate of 3.773 after one game, England leads the early standings and is more than twice as high as the next-best Australia.
In the face of a cunning England attack, South Africa’s total belied conditions that neither sailed nor spun significantly.
They lost their three best batters to Linsey Smith, who were taken aback by her early deployment of spin. Smith is the only bowler to dismiss Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, and Marizanne Kapp in the same innings while opening the bowling in her debut ODI World Cup match.
In contrast, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lauren Bell took three more wickets in the first 10.1 overs by bowling good lengths. South Africa could only hope to creep to respectability at 38 for 6 barely out of the powerplay, but they failed to do so. Only Sinalo Jafta, who was moved up at No. 6, reached double digits after they were bowled out in 20.4 overs.
The remaining batters will have to examine their shot selection and movement at the crease, which was virtually nonexistent. They will be questioned about their choice. South Africa chose to use all of their all-rounders, leaving out Annerie Dercksen, who earlier this year recorded her first ODI century in Sri Lanka.
After Wolvaardt opened the scoring with a square drive and the Brits cut Bell through point in a first over that cost nine runs, South Africa could not have predicted how swiftly things would unravel. When Wolvaardt played across the line and popped up a leading edge to give a straightforward return catch, Smith struck second ball. The first ball of Smith’s subsequent over sneaked through the bat-pad gap and bowled Brits after drifting in from around the wicket.
Sune Luus at No. 3 had a difficult task after both openers were removed, but she was taken out off stump by a Bell inswinger that curled in. Smith managed to get the ball to slip over Kapp’s inside edge and into the middle stump three balls later, completing the drift as well. Going forward, Wolvaardt, Brits, Luus, and Kapp will all need to improve their feet.
There were a few strokes in the jumble that gave the impression that South Africa was still able to bat. Although Anneke Bosch hit a brilliant cover drive and Jafta blasted Bell through cover point for her first boundary, their opportunities to outscore the England bowlers were few and far between.
When Jafta tried to drive Smith down the track on 8 but missed, she should have been out. Amy Jones fluffed the stumping because she was unable to collect in time. In a performance that was otherwise faultless, that was the only glitch.
Bosch walked over her stumps to be hit on the knee roll in front of the middle and leg after Sciver-Brunt came herself on in the ninth over. She didn’t go over what the right Lbw decision was. The first ball of her subsequent over was also hit by Sciver-Brunt. Alice Capsey caught Chloe Tryon at mid-on when she attempted to flip her into the leg side but received a leading edge.
When Jafta led Sophie Ecclestone to third place without any help, she broke into double figures. Masabata Klaas took turns against a Charlie Dean ball that stayed its line and was bowled, while Nadine de Klerk edged Ecclestone to Heather Knight at slip. Jafta was bowled after missing her attempt to hit Ecclestone back over her head. When she defeated Nonkululekho Mlaba’s slog, Dean put an end to it.
Despite Kapp’s best efforts, England’s chase was essentially academic as she routinely beat the batters with back-of-a-length balls. An lbw shout against Tammy Beaumont was reviewed by South Africa; it sneaked back in but still struck her outside the queue. Beaumont and Jones decided not to rush the outcome and instead remained patient in the face of a well-organised South African offensive. They put the foot down immediately after going 39 without losing in the powerplay.
In a reminder that there is more than one “Storm Amy” in England today, Jones sent Mlaba back over her head and swung Klaas over mid-on after threading her through point as soon as the fielding limitations were removed. She took consecutive boundaries off the typically frugal Ayabonga Khaka to put England one hit away after being dropped by Klaas in her follow through later in the over. Beaumont gave them a boundary to wrap things up.
In the pre-professional period, South Africa has already experienced a similar fate at the hands of England in a World Cup held in India. In 2013, they were bowled out for 77 in Cuttack. At the time, Kapp and Tryon were playing for South Africa, and Charlotte Edwards, the current England coach, was opening the batting for England.
India
