England’s four-pronged spin attack led by Sophie Ecclestone (2/15) strangulated South Africa in the death overs to restrict them to 124/6 after they opted to bat on a tricky wicket. An economical spell of 2-15 from Sophie Ecclestone and an unbeaten 48 by Nat Sciver-Brunt helped England beat South Africa by seven wickets to go on top of Group ‘B’ of the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Led by Sophie Ecclestone, England’s four-pronged spin-bowling attack enabled the 2009 champions to halt South Africa’s fast start and restrict them to 124/6. In reply, Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 43 and Nat’s unbeaten 48 helped England complete the chase with four balls to spare. While Danni held her own in the Power-play, Nat found the boundary fence regularly to ensure England never lost sight of the chase. They were also helped by Alice Capsey’s cameo of 19 off 16 balls, especially with her batting approach against spinners being positive.
Pitch and Toss
Pitch Toss : Pitch number 4 to be used today, a high of 36 degree Celsius, 73m straight hit, 59m and 63 square boundaries, that’s something to take care about. A lot of spin has been bowled by the spinners at this venue. We’re looking at a margin of 3-3.5m, batters who can use their feet well would do. There are some bare patches, a par score of around 130-140 would be a good score, reckon Natalie Germanos and Lisa Sthalekar, in their pitch report.
South Africa Women skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and chose to bat with no change in the Playing XI. England skipper Heather Knight bowling first also made no changes in the Playing XI.
Sophie Ecclestone’s economical spell restrict SA to 124 for 6.
Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to bat first, as two of the best teams at the T20 World Cup faced off in Sharjah. And Proteas captain Wolvaardt inspired an impressive powerplay, taking on England’s spin-heavy bowling attack right from the off.
Tazmin Brits looked to join in the fun and was caught on the rope for 13 (from 19 balls), but South Africa’s platform of 37/1 in the first six overs left them well-placed to build a big score. Catches went down with disappointing frequency for England, but the scoring rate slowed dramatically through the middle overs as their bowling attack hauled the innings back under control.
Anneke Bosch struggled to get going before being bowled by Sarah Glenn form 18 (26), and Wolvaardt’s inspired effort came to an abrupt end when she was cleaned by Sophie Ecclestone for 42 (39).
South Africa were still eyeing a big total, but the dangerous Chloe Tryon was removed by Charlie Dean, and Sophie Ecclestone stepped up to deny Marizanne Kapp a chance to extend her fiery knock of 26 from 17. There was some late drama when Nat Sciver-Brunt ran out Sune Luus in extraordinary fashion, turning the ball onto the stumps with an unintentional but silky flick with the outside of her foot. And South Africa closed on 124/6, setting up a fascinating second innings in Sharjah.
Electing to bat first, South Africa, who knocked out England in the semifinals of the 2023 T20 World Cup, skipper Laura Wolvaardt starred with an outstanding 42 off 39 balls and took on England’s spinners from the word go. Though Tazmin Brits fell in the Power-play, England managed to pull back in the middle overs despite dropping some chances.
Anneke Bosch struggled to get going before being castled by Sarah Glenn and was followed by Laura being cleaned up by Sophie Ecclestone. South Africa’s quest for a big total was further dented when Chloe Tryon was removed by Charlie Dean, and Sune Luus was run out by Nat. Experienced all-rounder Marizanne Kapp threatened to apply explosive finishing touches, before being castled by Sophie for a 17-ball 26. Annerie Dercksen’s 20 off 11 balls helped South Africa get past 120-mark.
She’d started so strongly. South Africa’s captain won the toss in what was an obviously bat-first situation, and looked excellent in the powerplay, in which she scored 22 off 15 balls, helping take South Africa to a healthy 37 for 1. But then England’s spinners applied the brakes, and she was unable to find the boundary for the remainder of her innings, which went until the 16th over.
She maintained a decent scoring rate thanks to her singles and twos, but against a batting order of England’s quality, South Africa needed a score in the vicinity of 150 to feel safe. Then, in the field, she let two half-chances off Wyatt-Hodge slip through her outstretched fingers, the first of those let-offs coming when the batter was on only 8.Still, Wolvaardt’s was the most substantial of South Africa’s individual contributions – she made 42 off 39.
Initially, on another slowish pitch in Sharjah, South Africa Women were restricted to 124 for 6 after opting to bat. While skipper Laura Wolvaardt top scored with 42, the rest of South Africa’s batters were not able to provide similar impetus right through although there were a couple of useful cameos.
Marizanne Kapp hit a quickfire 26 off 17 balls before she was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone while the innings was given a boost towards the end by Annerie Dercksen’s 11-ball 20. England had opted to employ spin early in the innings given the conditions on offer and it paid quick dividends. Opener Tazmin Brits had been dropped off the second ball of the innings but could not capitalize on the opportunity.
When she tried to hit Linsey Smith out of the ground, she skied a catch to long on to give England the first breakthrough inside the powerplay. Wolvaardt meanwhile, continued her good form from the previous game and hit three boundaries to capitalize on the best conditions for batting. Her start ensured that South Africa were scoring at just over run-a-ball inside the first six overs.
She added 40 with Anneke Bosch even though both batters endured some nervy moments right through. Wolvaardt survived a dropped chance and a couple of close LBW shouts while Bosch was lucky to survive a run out attempt.
The latter found it harder to keep the scoreboard ticking but just as she settled in, bringing out a reverse swept boundary against Sarah Glenn, the bowler had her riposte bowling her as she missed a lap sweep next ball. Kapp got off the blocks quickly with a 10-run over from Nat Sciver-Brunt reversing the pressure on England quickly. But they hit back with Sophie Ecclestone sneaking past Wolvaardt’s attempted hit through mid-wicket giving England another timely wicket.
Kapp, who had looked the most commanding against spin hit Charlie Dean for back-to-back boundaries but the bowler struck back cleaning up the stumps of Chloe Tryon. With South Africa eyeing a big finish, Dercksen’s six off Linsey Smith set a positive note but Ecclestone scalped the other big wicket when she bowled Kapp in the penultimate over. Dercksen squeezed two more boundaries in the final over off Sciver-Brunt to finish with a par score
Between them, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, leg spinner Sarah Glenn, and offspinner Charlie Dean bowled 12 overs for 58 runs, and took four wickets. Linsey Smith, also a left-arm spinner, took 1 for 32 off her four overs too.
But it was the tight, varied bowling of Sophie Ecclestone and Glenn that really kept the scoring down through the middle overs. Sophie Ecclestone got the two biggest opposition wickets – bowling Laura Wolvaardt in the 16th over, before crashing another one into the stumps of an advancing Marizanne Kapp int he 19th over. She finished with figures of 2 for 15 from her four – the best returns in the game.
Nat Sciver Brunt’s 48 not out guides England Women to victory
Tasked with chasing down 125, England got off to an inauspicious start as Maia Bouchier struggled for fluency in the powerplay, with the metronomic Marizanne Kapp getting rewards for a superb early spell when she trapped the opener in-front for 8 (20). But England counter-attacked through Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey, getting back in control of the chase on a tricky surface.
A soft caught and bowled by Nadine de Klerk did for Capsey, but Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Wyatt-Hodge out in the middle and the pair took England took the brink of victory before the latter was stumped off Nonkululeko Mlaba for a run-a-ball 43. And it was left to the stylish Sciver-Brunt to finish off the job, hitting the winning runs to the boundary off the second ball of the final over to end unbeaten on 48* from 36 deliveries.
In the chase, Maia Bouchier struggled for fluency in the Power-play and was trapped lbw by Marizanne, who was superb in her opening spell. But England counter-attacked through Danni and Alice hitting boundaries on a tricky pitch. South Africa also suffered the butter-fingers fate in terms of catching – especially when Alice was given a reprieve on zero and Danni given twin lives.
Though she fell to Nadine de Klerk, the impetus she provided via her cameo helped Danni and Nat pace the chase superbly to keep England in control via a 64-run partnership for the third wicket. Though Danni was stumped off Nonkululeko Mlaba, Nat finished off the chase in style with a lofted inside-out shot over extra cover to take England home.
In the chase, South Africa started well with the ball keeping things quiet even if not destructive. Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka gave away only 16 in the first five overs. Kapp also got rid of Maia Bouchier and nearly had Alice Capsey in the same over if not for Bosch’s dropped catch. The start had put pressure on England who through Capsey, took on Chloe Tryon with a couple of swept boundaries. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge then got going with a couple of boundaries off Nadine de Klerk, even as the bowler got the better of Capsey in the same over.
Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge then joined hands to put on a clinical partnership for the third wicket. They remained watchful at the start of the stand and the equation heading into the last six overs left England needing 43.
Sciver-Brunt pulled Kapp for a couple of timely boundaries that turned the tide slowly. Wyatt-Hodge saw a couple of chances go down and rode her luck, getting on the offensive including a crucial driven boundary off Nonkululeko Mlaba in the 18th over. But she fell attempting a repeat when Mlaba switched line and pace to have her stumped for 43, ending a 64-run stand.
It left the equation at 11 needed off 12 when skipper Heather Knight joined Sciver-Brunt. The latter hit a couple of critical boundaries to finish off the chase, and ended with an unbeaten 48 in a confident win for England. Nat Sciver-Brunt produced one of the innings of the Women’s T20 World Cup so far to guide England home in the final over, against South Africa. Her 48 not out was not only the most substantial of the match, it was also the most aggressive, coming off 36 deliveries.
It was Sciver-Brunt’s 64-run stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge that swung the match decisively in England’s favour, as they pursued a target of 125.
South Africa’s spinners had been valiant, particularly Nonkululeko Mlaba, who took 1 for 22 from her four overs. But with England’s strong batting line-up, they needed more of the chances the bowlers created to be taken. South Africa could not capitalize on two half-chances offered by Wyatt-Hodge, and though Sciver-Brunt rode her luck to some extent too, none of the mis-hits went to fielders.
Although England had been careful not to lose wickets early on, they required an injection of energy through the middle overs to set them properly on course for victory, and Sciver-Brunt was the woman to provide it. She was immediately dynamic at the crease, hitting her fourth ball for four behind square on the offside, before settling into her usual rhythm of picking runs through the legside.
She would frequently shuffle to off and target the square leg boundary against the spinners, even if, on such a slow surface, she didn’t always find the timing. She hit 32 of her runs in the arc between fine leg and deep midwicket, scoring four boundaries in that direction. Though Wyatt-Hodge was stumped with 11 still to get off 12 deliveries, Sciver-Brunt struck a four in each of the last two overs, and iced the game.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Heather Knight the winning skipper said : Really pleased, that was a really controlled win. The way we controlled the middle overs when they were batting and the way we restricted them, the pitch was slightly better than the other day, but felt it was going to be a tricky chase. Has been really tough to chase here. We controlled that chase brilliantly. Nat – very cool and calm head, Danni and that partnership was outstanding to watch.
Really pleased (with the spinners), these are the sort of games I actually love captaining because you feel like you can make a real difference and the girls were outstanding again. Sophie (Ecclestone) was back to her best and the way she bowled, she made it really tough. She seems to get a little bit of bounce, I don’t know how, really strange on that wicket. Proper performance, really happy with our energy on the field as well.
You could see her (Wyatt-Hodge) getting frustrated out there, she’s not used to going at 100 SR, but that’s what it’s going to take sometimes on these pitches. We have talked a lot about it, just finding a way and she did that brilliantly. Really smart options. We don’t play till Sunday, quite a big break, time to get away and explore Dubai, we will refocus after a few days off.
Laura Wolvaardt the losing skipper said : Obviously very disappointed. 10-20 more runs with the bat could have been interesting, obviously didn’t take our chances in the field either. I didn’t feel it was as slow as the first couple of games. When we started batting, we were talking about 140.
We lost our way a little bit after the powerplay. You can’t ask for much more with the new ball, a bit more control from the spinner would have been better. It’s so tough to bowl to these batters who have all the shots. It’s difficult to set fields. Must-win games for us, both of them can be pretty tough in these conditions, so definitely we have to be on our A-game.
Sophie Ecclestone Player of the Match for her economical spell said : Quite nice to break records, keep it simple and bowl straight, I always bowl with a smile. Two crucial wickets, Kappy and Wolvaardt, they are quality players, we’ve some world-class players ourselves. Conditions are quite different here and we’ve done well to get accustomed to it, keep bowling accurately and you’ll get the rewards.
Fittingly, it’s Nat Sciver-Brunt who hits the winning runs. She’s played a gem of an innings here. Chasing 124, Maia Bouchier struggled to find the gap and fell to Kapp inside the powerplay. Alice Capsey, at three, got a reprieve on 0 and she batted positively against the spinners and hit three boundaries before perishing to de Klerk.
That’s when Nat Sciver-Brunt walked in to join hands with Danielle Wyatt-Hodge. The match was nicely poised but the experienced duo paced the chase superbly. Wyatt-Hodge was dropped twice and was eventually removed by Mlaba but the damage had been done – 64-run partnership for the third wicket. Sciver-Brunt stayed till the end to take her team home as England hunted down the total with 4 balls to spare.
It was Sciver-Brunt’s 64-run stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge that swung the match decisively in England’s favour, as they pursued a target of 125.
South Africa’s spinners had been valiant, particularly Nonkululeko Mlaba, who took 1 for 22 from her four overs. But with England’s strong batting line-up, they needed more of the chances the bowlers created to be taken. South Africa could not capitalize on two half-chances offered by Wyatt-Hodge, and though Sciver-Brunt rode her luck to some extent too, none of the mis-hits went to fielders.
The result puts England in the driving seat in Group B with two wins from two, while South Africa will still have hopes of joining their opponents in the knockout stages. The win leaves England in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, with two wins from two and a solid net run rate of 0.653. South Africa have more work to do.
Crucial win for England and they have two wins in as many outings to go to the top of the Group B points table. They bowled 16 overs of spin to restrict South Africa to a par score of 124 and chased it down quite comfortably although the match went till the final over. South Africa were sloppy in the field and the spinners weren’t accurate today. They’ll be keen to rectify it before their important encounter against West Indies.