ICC Women’s World Cup, Guwahati
South Africa 69 (20.4 overs): Jafta 22 (36); Smith 3-7
England 73-0 (14.1 overs): Jones 40* (50), Beaumont 21* (35)
England won by 10 wickets
England bowled South Africa out for just 69 as they made a winning start to their Women’s World Cup campaign with a ruthless 10-wicket thrashing in Guwahati.
Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith was the pick of the bowlers with 3-7, claiming the prized wickets of Laura Wolvaardt, in-form opener Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp.
Sinalo Jafta was the only batter to reach double figures in a dismal batting performance which saw the Proteas bundled out for their third-lowest ODI total in just 20.4 overs.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt took 2-5 in her first competitive bowling spell since the Ashes, while spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean also picked up two wickets apiece.
Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont then cruised to their target in 14.1 overs, having started somewhat cautiously on a tricky surface, finishing with 40 and 21 respectively.
It was a bizarre performance from South Africa on a pitch that offered a little assistance to the spinners, but far from anything extravagant, as they simply had no answers to England’s consistency.
Captain Wolvaardt was caught and bowled for five in the second over, Brits and Kapp were bowled for five and four respectively and Sune Luus was cleaned up by Lauren Bell.
Sciver-Brunt trapped Anneke Bosch lbw with her first ball as South Africa stuttered to 38-5 after the 10-over powerplay before Dean and Ecclestone comfortably cleaned up the middle and lower order.
It could prove to be a crucial win for England, giving them a significant net run-rate boost before their second game against Bangladesh on Tuesday when there is the possibility of rain.
Spinners seal England’s perfect start
After the Ashes demolition at the start of the year and series defeats against India in the summer, England needed a strong start to their first major challenge under the leadership of Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards.
They delivered with a statement win, crushing their below-par opponents which was magnificently set up by Smith setting the tone, and the rest followed suit.
Bell had the unenviable task of opening the bowling in high humidity and conceded a couple of boundaries in her first over, but Smith immediately dragged things back as Wolvaardt chipped the ball straight back to her as it seemed to stick in the pitch – an immediate indication that England had read the conditions right with a spin-heavy attack while South Africa prioritised pace.
Smith was relentless with her consistency and was rewarded by bowling the in-form Brits and star all-rounder Kapp with balls that drifted through their defences.
There was a question mark over Sciver-Brunt, who has been easing her way back to bowling fitness after an Achilles problem, but she immediately silenced those doubts with Bosch trapped by a ball that stayed a little low while Chloe Tryon fell to a soft dismissal, plinking one to Alice Capsey at mid-wicket.
South Africa only managed six boundaries, three of them to Jafta, but their hopes ended when Nadine de Klerk was well caught at slip off Ecclestone to expose the tail.
