England vs South Africa: LIVE Women’s T20 World Cup result and reaction after Heather Knight’s side secure victory
England beat South Africa in their second Women’s T20 World Cup group game in Sharjah
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England took another step towards the semi-finals at the Women’s T20 World Cup with a strong win over South Africa.
After an opening win over Bangladesh on a slow surface, England’s spin quartet again made good use of a turning pitch in Sharjah as they strangled the South Africa batters. Sophie Ecclestone led the way with figures of 2/15 with Linsey Smith, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn once more impressing in support roles, limiting South Africa to 124/6 despite late hitting from Marizanne Kapp and Annerie Dercksen.
It never looked likely to be enough, despite a sluggish outfield, and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (43) ensured a solid platform was laid, eschewing her more expansive strokeplay to manage the chase well. The star turn with the bat came, though, fron Nat Sciver-Brunt, cruising to an unbeaten 48 to guide her side home to a second win from two games. England top Group B with games against Scotland and the West Indies to come.
Re-live all of the action from Sharjah in the blog below:
England 16-0 (4) Bouchier 8, Wyatt-Hodge 8, Khaka 0-11 (2)
Khaka bowls another and again Wyatt sets off for a run first ball of the over. There’s a run out chance with a direct hit against Bouchier.
South Africa celebrate, but Bouchier is well in, and she follows it up with a tuck around the corner for another single.
Wyatt again tucks and runs just to keep the scoreboard moving. Wyatt-Hodge goes up and straight to bring her first boundary of the innings.
A much better over from England, eight runs from it.
England 8-0 (3) Bouchier 6, Wyatt 2, Kapp 0-5 (2)
Wyatt gets away for a single the first ball of the over, aided by a missfield.
Bouchier gets a good bat on a ball from Kapp, but plays it straight to the fielder.
Kapp gets another one that misses the outside edge of Bouchier’s bat by millimetres.
She breaks some of the tension by going big and over the top for the first boundary of the innings.
England 3-0 (2) Bouchier 2, Wyatt 1, Khaka 0-3 (1)
Khaka will bowl the second after Kapp’s maiden. England cannot leave it too long before they have to start putting runs on the board.
The ball swings heavily back into Wyatt-Hodge who fends the ball away to point. She taps into the leg side and they run a single for the first run of the innings after 1.2 overs.
Another inside edge off Bouchier will bring two runs.
England 0-0 (1) Bouchier 0, Wyatt-Hodge 0, Kapp 0-0 (1) need 125 runs to win
England are out in the middle with Bouchier and Wyatt-Hodge to open up.
Kapp is the opening bowler and Bouchier just defends the first one into the off side. The second almost brings a wicket, there isn’t the expected bounce and Bouchier nearly plays onto her stumps, the ball just glances onto her pads and behind.
Bouchier is half-tempted into playing one just outside the off stump, the ball is a bit too wide, but Kapp will be encouraged by that.
South Africa score 124 for six from their 20 overs
Here are some photos from the first innings:
Wicket! Sune Luus out for 1! South Africa 124-6 (20)
Final over and it will be bowled by Sciver-Brunt! Who takes a run out off the boot!
It’s driven back at her and rebounds off the bowler’s boot and into the stumps at the non-strikers end, that brings an end to Luus’ innings.
South Africa are going for this, but they can’t quite get hold of the ball. They manage to score a boundary, a slightly quicker ball is flicked through midwicket for four.
Another boundary, it’s an inside edge through the legs and that will bring a second lot of back to back boundaries.
10 runs from the final over, and South Africa have set England a chase of 125 to win.
Kapp out for 25! South Africa 114-5 (19) Dercksen 11, Luus 1, Ecclestone 2-15 (4)
Ecclestone bowls Kapp! Kapp swings and misses, there was no pace on that and it has hit half way up middle stump, that’s a big wicket for England as she was scoring quickly!
South Africa race back for a second, a big dive is needed, but England haven’t been as clinical in the field as they would like.
South Africa 1010-4 (18) Kapp 26, Dercksen 8, Smith 1-32 (4)
Dercksen comes to the crease, but Kapp will face Smith first and manages to get the ball away for a single to bring the new batter on strike and finally bring up the hundred after 17.1 overs.
Dercksen’s first ball is top-edged but falls safe, but on the final ball of the over she smashes the first six of the innings! Smith’s last over goes for 11 runs.
Tryon out for 2! South Africa 99-3 (17) Kapp 23, Dean 1-25 (4)
Dean starts her last over, and starts it well with a dot ball. Kapp again goes big and over the top and dispatches Dean straight back over her head for a boundary.
She follows it up with another boundary over deep midwicket, that’s back to back fours for the first time in the game.
Dean has a wicket! The ball just goes under the bat of Tryon and takes off the bails.
Wolvaardt out for 42! South Africa 89-3 (16) Kapp 14, Tryon 1, Ecclestone 1-11 (3)
Ecclestone is into her third over out of a maximum of four, and there’s a bit of turn.
Kapp goes for an innovative reverse paddle but cannot pick up a run for it. She goes up and over and it flies behind Amy Jones and will be well-stopped on the boundary to save a run.
Ecclestone strikes! Wolvaardt goes for a big pull shot and completely misses the ball which crashes into the stumps and brings Tryon to the crease.
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