England make it two wins from two at Girls’s T20 World Cup after victory over South Africa in Sharjah

England made it two wins from two on the Girls’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 on the identical floor on Saturday, Heather Knight’s aspect restricted South Africa – the workforce that beat them within 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 goal with 4 balls to spare – Nat Sciver-Brunt (48no off 36) placing the successful 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 high of Group B, with additional pool matches in opposition to Scotland on Sunday and West Indies subsequent Tuesday to come back, each dwell on Sky Sports activities, as they aim a primary T20 World Cup title because the inaugural version on dwelling soil in 2009.

South Africa – 10-wicket winners over West Indies of their opening fixture – are third within the pool, behind West Indies on net-run charge, however with Scotland and Bangladesh left to play, they are going to fancy their possibilities of securing a top-two spot and making the semi-finals.

England include South Africa regardless of fielding blunders

Knight’s aspect have been sloppy within the subject within the first half of the South Africa innings, shelling 4 catches in whole with Tazmin Brits (13) dropped on nought and 12 – Knight at slip and Sarah Glenn at brief positive leg the fielders – earlier than Brits holed out off left-arm spinner Linsey Smith (1-32).

Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 39) was one other participant to get a lifeline, grassed by England wicketkeeper Amy Jones on 22 after edging Ecclestone behind however the bowler lastly castled Wolvaardt within the sixteenth over because the right-hander heaved throughout the road.

England strangled South Africa’s run charge after the departure of Brits, with Anneka Bosch bowled for a torturous 18 from 26 balls as she seemed to comb leg-spinner Glenn (1-18).

Marizanne Kapp fired fleetingly along with her 26 off 17 balls together with successive boundaries off Charlie Dean (1-25) however she was then cleaned up by Ecclestone in a four-run nineteenth over, because the England bowler rebounded from going wicketless within the 21-run win over Bangladesh on Saturday.

Sciver-Brunt, the one seamer deployed by England, didn’t take a wicket along with her bowling however did run out Sune Luus after deflecting an Annerie Dercksen drive again onto the non-striker’s stumps within the closing over, earlier than Dercksen (20no) thumped and edged consecutive fours.

Wyatt-Hodge, Sciver-Brunt hearth with bat for England

England stuttered initially of the chase, with Kapp sending down an opening-over maiden after which pinning Bouchier lbw midway by means of the fifth over to finish the opener’s sketchy, jittery innings with the batting aspect having simply 16 runs on the board.

Capsey ought to then have been dismissed for a duck, just for Bosch to spill a reasonably routine likelihood at backward level, and the England No 3 went on to strike three boundaries earlier than she chipped a slower ball tamely again to South Africa seamer Nadine de Klerk.

England have been responsible of throwing away wickets cheaply within the victory over Bangladesh on the weekend however Wyatt-Hodge – who had high scored in that match with 40 from 41 balls – and Sciver-Brunt ensured that didn’t occur once more, though just a few free photographs did evade the fielders.

South Africa’s final hope appeared to come back when Kapp, whose first three overs have been taken for less than 5 runs in whole, returned to bowl her final with England’s requirement 43 from 36 balls.

However Kapp conceded 12 runs – eight of them off Sciver-Brunt boundaries – as England reduce their ask to 31 from 30 deliveries, a place of power they didn’t relinquish, regardless of Wyatt’s late stumping dismissal.

Knight revels in ‘managed’ win

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 sensible to look at.”

Player of the Match, Sophie Ecclestone: “It is all the time nice to do it in opposition to the world’s greatest and to get these two large wickets in Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp, I used to be comfortable.

“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.”

What’s subsequent?

England return to motion in opposition to Scotland in Sharjah on Sunday, with that match dwell on Sky Sports activities from 10.30am forward of the primary ball at 11am.

South Africa play twice extra this week, in opposition to Scotland in Dubai on Wednesday (11am begin) earlier than rounding out their group marketing campaign versus Bangladesh on the identical venue on Saturday (3pm).

Tuesday’s match on the T20 World Cup is the Group A cracker between defending champions Australia and New Zealand in Sharjah, with each in search of successive wins.

Australia defeated Sri Lanka of their opening fixture, whereas New Zealand upset India.

Watch each match from the Girls’s T20 World Cup dwell on Sky Sports activities, as much as and together with the ultimate on Sunday October 20.