England suffered defeat in the first match of Saturday’s double-header and will be looking to bounce back against New Zealand
Tremendous win. Make no mistake, the South Africans were down and out on Wednesday conceding a pair of world record scores. Their tour was on the cusp of turning into a complete disaster. To fight back as they did here demonstrates the stern stuff they are made of under Dane van Niekerk. They have won one of three games but are very much alive. It will more than likely be the case that if they can also turn the tables on New Zealand on Wednesday at Bristol they will qualify for the final.
England have two hours to bounce back themselves before playing the rampaging New Zealanders. It was a sketchy performance from the get-go, highlighted by about half a dozen (if not more) dropped catches. So there we have it, a fantastic first rubber of our double header at Taunton. Thanks for your company. I’ll be back at about 5pm local time for that second fixture. Bye for now.
19.3 overs: South Africa 166-4 (Luus 63, du Preez 8) Target 161 Brunt has the ball in her hand for the final over and Sune Luus clips behind square for four! Brings up her half-century! Wyatt is so close to it but just beyond her reach. More importantly, she has taken the task to five from five balls. Four more! Luus is owning this, bisecting the gap at point and making absolutely no mistake. Scores level. WINS IT with a huge SIX! Four, four, SIX. What an innings! South Africa win a ripper!
19th over: South Africa 152-4 (Luus 49, du Preez 8) Target 161 du Preez goes straight down the ground from Shrubsole’s first ball and it just beats the diving Brunt at mid-off for a valuable boundary. Dropped! Next ball the former South African skipper gives a regulation chance to Sciver at midwicket and she has put it down. England have been abysmal in the field today. Sciver throws at the non-strikers’ end to make amends but only ends up hitting Shrubsole who is backing up. No damage done, she continues. The bowler, predictably, keeps her cool and bounces back with a couple of dots to Luus. Two balls to come. Katie George the sub fielder makes a magnificent diving stop! Would have been four. Keeps it to one. Last ball... single taken to mid-off and Brunt HITS! Upstairs they go and it is not out! What drama! All told: eight runs from the over leaving nine to win from the final six balls.
18th over: South Africa 144-4 (Luus 48, du Preez 1) Target 161 Two wickets from the over but only three runs as well. They need 17 from 12 balls, with six of those to be delivered from Brunt and and six from Shrubsole. “There aren’t two better bowlers in the world for that job,” says Charlotte Edwards on TV. Can Luus see it through?
Straight through her! From round the wicket, skipped on with a bit of bounce and Tryon can’t make contact with an attempted cut shot. Two wickets in four balls. What a great scrap this has been.
England won’t give up! You can’t come down the track, swing and miss with Sarah Taylor behind the stumps. Easy peasy for a ‘keeper of that quality. First ball of the over too.
17th over: South Africa 141-2 (Luus 47, van Niekerk 25) Target 161 This could be the over. van Niekerk is a smart cricketer and will fancy her chances against Gunn. That’s shown first up, smashing straight back over her head for four! Real stand and deliver stuff! A couple more with a shovel then another with a push. Luus’ turn and Gunn locates her leading edge... but it lands just over the bowlers’ head! DVN gets the strike back, makes room and creams the low full-toss through the point gap for another four 13 off the over and the Proteas are just about home. Right?
16th over: South Africa 128-2 (Luus 46, van Niekerk 13) Target 161 A couple of accurate dots from from Brunt to Luus to begin before she gets off strike to fine leg. How will DVN approach this against England’s attack-leader? Down the ground, straight, but Gunn cuts it off and keeps it to one. Luus can’t get the penultimate ball away past point, every scoreless ball prompting applause from the crowd now. Last ball: another dot, unable to beat midwicket! More applause. Just the two singles from it. 33 needed from 24 balls. Brunt has one of those four overs. Will DVN take down Gunn next up?
15th over: South Africa 126-2 (Luus 45, van Niekerk 12) Target 161 Luus powered through earlier on and is still doing a job turning the strike over more often than not. van Niekerk takes full advantage later in the over, picking up a Gunn half-tracker and smashing it into the gap at deep midwicket for four. They drop another fielder back for the final ball so she tries to go through cover instead but can’t thread it through.
14th over: South Africa 120-2 (Luus 44, van Niekerk 6) Target 161 That is where the skipper is such a fine player, getting down low for the reverse sweep. Four over singles, making eight from the Ecclestone over. 41 to go for South Africa. You can bet that DVN will try and knock these off quickly.
13th over: South Africa 112-2 (Luus 42, van Niekerk 1) Target 161 DVN is in career-best touch so she will back herself to finish this off. She is off the mark to third man. Good bit of fielding from Ecclestone later in the over, making a diving stop at mid off. Three runs and the vital wicket of Lee from the Shrubsole over. Just what they needed.
And they do! First ball of Shrubsole’s new spell and Lee picks out Sciver trying to hit over the midwicket boundary again. Instead, she pops it straight down the fielder’s throat. England alive again!
12th over: South Africa 109-1 (Lee 68, Luus 40) Target 161 Have that! Lee goes bigtwice in a rowover the ropes at midwicket! “If you don’t get her early this is the damage she can cause,” says Isa Guha on the telly. This is just about game over. Wow. Six sixes she has now clobbered over the legside field. 52 left to get in eight overs, that’s 6.5 an over. England need to get her right now.
11th over: South Africa 96-1 (Lee 55, Luus 40) Target 161 Sciver on and she cops the Lizelle treatment too, the opener getting down down low and lifting her over midwicket for her fourth six! That’s her half-century in just 29 balls. What an innings this is. Oh, she is DROPPED next ball! On the boundary at midwicket, Shrubsole has put her down. Oh dear, that should have been out. It was hit hard, but still. And it spills for four. 12 off the over; England floundering.
10th over: South Africa 84-1 (Lee 44, Luus 39) Target 161 Shot! Lee advancing at Hazell and punching a drive through cover that nearly goes the full journey. Into the gap, it is four. She goes again back over her head and doesn’t get anywhere near all of it but the England fielders at long-on and long-off are bisected. Highly frustrating for Heather Knight, I am sure. A couple of singles to the legside sweepers to finish. Halfway there and more than half the required runs already found. The hosts in strife.
9th over: South Africa 76-1 (Lee 37, Luus 37) Target 161 Teenage left-arm ortho Sophie Ecclestone has been spun around and bowling her second over from the broadcast end. She’s sliding down at Lee from round the wicket and doing it nicely, prompting another lbw shout. Lee responds to the probing line the only way she knows how, swiping her looooong over midwicket for six more! Ecclestone doesn’t respond well, allowing Lee to help herself to four more past short fine leg. Some nice work undone there, 13 off the over.
8th over: South Africa 62-1 (Lee 26, Luus 35) Target 161 Big shout for lbw by Hazell, turned down. England were convinced but the umpire wasn’t and Luus survives. Great over from the offspinner, who bounces back after copping some tap, just two singles off this one.
7th over: South Africa 60-1 (Lee 25, Luus 34) Target 161 Gunn on with her slow-medium seamers and drops a catch to begin. Luus the beneficiary of the chance, coming in the follow through low to her right. Responds by smacking her down the ground for four. Another drop! Lee this time, to backward point. Beaumont had to dive to her right and it is a good effort but not enough to drag it in. Ten off the over with reprieves for both. That stings.
6th over: South Africa 50-1 (Lee 24, Luus 25) Target 161 Brunt back for the final over of the power play. Luus striking the ball really nicely here but not to the boundary this time around. Lee can though! She whacks the final ball for six over midwicket! It brings up South Africa’s 50. Exactly what they needed to begin this chase. Should win from here. “It is definitely game on,” says Charlotte Edwards on commentary.
5th over: South Africa 39-1 (Lee 17, Luus 21) Target 161 Heading in the direction of game on? Two boundaries in the over for Luus off Hazell. The first a product of another Jones misfield, this time misreading the bounce on the square leg rope, then the other goes over Brunt’s head at deep midwicket. 13 from the over, all to Luus.
4th over: South Africa 26-1 (Lee 17, Luus 8) Target 161 That could have been a big moment, Ecclestone’s first ball prompting a miscue from Lee, landing just short of the sprawling Wyatt running in from the midwicket rope. Misfield from Jones at point allows the strike to rotate. The left-armer right on the money to begin but six were still taken from the over. Guru Josh coming in over the tannoy; great areas from the Cricket Ground DJ. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.
3rd over: South Africa 20-1 (Lee 14, Luus 5) Target 161 Luus is away, lifting Shrubsole for a boundary over backward square for South Africa’s third boundary in that direction of their chase so far. An important innings for the no. 3 who is badly out of form.
2nd over: South Africa 13-1 (Lee 12, Luus 0) Brunt also has her first ball send behind square by Lee, this time high and long and over the rope! Effortless! Lee tries to go again when the short ball comes but doesn’t get all of it. Looking forward to seeing the England spinners. Dani Hazell performs well in the subcontinent and this track hasn’t much pace left in it.
1st over: South Africa 6-1 (Lee 5, Luus 0) Earlier, Lee whipped Shrubsole’s first ball behind square for four - and there was a wide in there too - but she has the first wicket, which matters far more.
Oh yes! Superb swing bowling! That’s come back a mile through the gate of the opener. It clips her pad on the way through to her pegs. Perfect start for the hosts.
Players are back! Lee and Wolvaardt opening up for the Proteas. Shrubsole will take the new ball. She had a return of 4-2-8-0 the other night. Play!
20th over: England 160-5 (Knight 35, Jones 6) Great shot from Jones to start the final over, shovelling Kapp over short-fine leg for four first up. When Knight gets on strike the result is the same, bringing up the England 150 with a powerful cut shot into the gap then back down the ground she gets a couple more. This has turned into a handy cameo from the captain after a slow start. She tries to play the Sarah Taylor reverse standing sweep from the penultimate ball, but doesn’t make contact. Kapp loses her bundle from what should have been the last ball, giving Knight a full toss above waist height, deflected perfectly to the third man rope, also giving her a free hit! She gets two from it down the ground making 18 from the 20th over. They will be very happy with eight an over - both sides probably will, come to think of it. Back for the chase in 10 minutes.
19th over: England 142-5 (Knight 23, Jones 1) Jones off the mark first ball, keeping the strike for the final over. Earlier, the captain edged to the boundary for a third time. Ismail again unlucky. The captain drove over cover for back to back boundaries, albeit a shot that should have been stopped by Wolvaardt at deep mid wicket.11 off the over.
Swing and a miss, losing her middle stump. Ismail deserved that. Another fine hand from Beaumont, backing up her three tons on the bounce with 71 from 59 balls.
18th over: England 131-4 (Beaumont 70, Knight 14) Up and over from Beaumont, not in complete control down the ground off Kapp but getting a couple. Makes better contact the second time around but is dropped on the rope! The pace taken off the ball means it goes for four and not six. Klaas was the fielder and is immediately swapped with Ismail, who is in the act next ball when Beaumont goes in that direction once more, preventing the ball from crossing the line with a committed stop. Nine from it. The opener keeps the strike.
17th over: England 122-4 (Beaumont 61, Knight 14) Ismail to Beaumont, the latter trying to clear the front leg to hit long but is only able to knock her down the ground for one. Better from Knight, timing a cross-bat whack with perfection behind the square leg umpire for four. Wasn’t that short but her footwork was perfect to hit it where she wanted to. Four other singles, the seamer accurate with a string of shorter balls.
16th over: England 114-4 (Beaumont 59, Knight 8) Foot down now, Beaumont striking a boundary to begin then Knight registering her first four too from the outside edge. Tammy gets another chance to conclude the over and pulls hard behind square to the rope to make 14 from the over. Mali finishes with 2/39 from her four overs.
15th over: England 100-4 (Beaumont 50, Knight 3) van Niekerk again, now round the wicket. Misfield with Beaumont reversing, the pair able to get back for a couple. Both she and Knight pick out the sweepers for the rest of the over, which is enough for Beaumont to reach her half-century. What a marvellous run she is having. Three tons on the spin and another important hand here. Reached the mark in 47 balls with five boundaries. England’s 100 up with that stroke as well.
14th over: England 95-4 (Beaumont 47, Knight 1) Just as it was in the previous Mali set, before she took a wicket Beaumont ramped her for four. Such a high degree of difficulty but she makes it look easy and almost conventional. The skipper, Knight, is out there with her now, off the mark with a single.That was Lee’s first stumping for South Africa, the TV says. “Not entirely surprising,” adds Mark Butcher. Fair.
That’s better! Great take from Lee who takes a ball up to the stumps off the seamer Mali and whips the bails off with ease. She’s had a shocker with the gloves over the last few weeks but that will help restore her confidence. Mali has two.
13th over: England 88-3 (Beaumont 41, Brunt 6) Brunt nearly in strife running to the danger end after a Beaumont single but gets back in time. Another useful over from DVN, going for just the five singles. They will be happy with that. South Africa in a decent enough position if they can keep their act together for the final seven overs.
12th over: England 83-3 (Beaumont 38, Brunt 4) Before the wicket came the ramp, Beaumont getting down low and executing the shot with perfection. She has been joined by Brunt, again elevated up the list. She was awesome on Wednesday and away with a boundary first ball again, albeit off the outside half of the bat down to the third man rope. It wasn’t far away from Ismail’s outstretched hands but it has been that kind of day for South Africa in the field, unlucky not to have a couple more. A play and a miss to finish. So, ten runs off the over and the wicket of Sciver. Nicely bowled, though.
Nice change of pace, Sciver picking the wrong ball to try and plonk over the rope at long-on. Straightforward chance taken by Klaas. Well bowled.
11th over: England 73-2 (Beaumont 32, Sciver 16) Tammy Beaumont now moving up the gears, timing DVN through the offside for her third boundary. It’s a used pitch so it looks a touch harder for batting than it was on Wednesday. A few singles to go with the boundary, seven from it. England, Mark Butcher says, should get 150. Feels right.
10th over: England 66-2 (Beaumont 26, Sciver 15) Sciver down the ground from Mali’s first ball, gets two. Nice stop from Ismail, who looks to be fielding in a pair of Wayfarer shades! I thought it was compulsory for cricketers to wear eye-jackets straight from 1998? Back in the middle, Sciver is dropped! On the circle at mid-on with a leaping attempt with one hand, ala Peter Taylor. Not to be. Runs in the smaller denominations around the field from all bar one delivery.
9th over: England 58-2 (Beaumont 23, Sciver 10) It’ll be spin again from the broadcast end, Dane van Niekerk bringing herself on. She’s one wicket away from having 1000 runs and 50 scalps in T20Is, Lottie Edwards tells us on TV. The leggie beats Sciver’s edge, the hard-hitting right hander responding by moving around in the crease. That prompts a legside wide but on the whole it is another good over, just five coming from it.
8th over: England 53-2 (Beaumont 22, Sciver 9) Ismail cuts Beaumont in half, playing a false stroke across the line without any footwork. She’s lucky not to lose her off-stump. They run through for a bye, that delivery also too good for Lee. Sciver is clever, taking a quick single to midwicket. Beaumont again, who charges but Ismail sees her coming and drops in a bouncer! Great wheels! “That’s superb bowling,” says Charlotte Edwards, former England captain. A slow one to finish to complete a lovely set that went for only three runs.
7th over: England 50-2 (Beaumont 21, Sciver 8) Ntozakhe again, so she will bowl her four overs straight off the top. Beaumont clever to begin, using what pace there is on the ball to deflect a couple to third man. Another drop? I think it is. Lee the culprit once again behind the pegs, unable to glove an inside edge. In response, Beaumont whips wonderfully through midwicket for a couple more. “She’s in the form of her life,” says Izzy Westbury on the telly. Too right. Sciver lashes the final ball through cover, which would be four if not for an excellent Tryon give on the rope. Given she missed the previous game with a hand injury, that’s brave stuff from the all-rounder. It brings up England’s 50.
6th over: England 43-2 (Beaumont 17, Sciver 5) Sciver off the mark with a single and Beaumont gives the all-rounder the strike back with one of her own. She belted 33 in a hurry on Wednesday during happy hour but hasn’t made a major contribution so far this summer. The lovely cover drive she plays from the last ball of the set will help with that, bisecting the field to finish the power play. Shot.
First ball, Ismail in the book! Very similar to the first dismissal, Taylor unable to keep a flay through the off-side down, hitting high on the bat and landing with du Preez just behind point.
5th over: England 37-1 (Beaumont 16, Taylor 20) Another boundary to begin, Beaumont down the ground just beating the long-on, pushing her into double figures. She is shooting for four international tons in a row in this innings, it is worth remembering. The pair get on their bike thereafter, taking Ntozakhe through the legside thrice. Nearly another chance to finish, Beaumont just clearing the pint-sized spinner. Her she only been a couple of inches taller. Not to be.
4th over: England 29-1 (Beaumont 9, Taylor 19) Much better from Beaumont, getting to the pitch and smacking Kapp through cover to brgin. Trademark Tammy. To keep up appearances when she gets her chance, some Trademark Sarah Taylor as well, clipping Kapp through midwicket with a minimum of fuss. She is lethal through there. The number three makes it three fours in the over with a crisp cut behind point to finish. That’s better. She’s away.
3rd over: England 16-1 (Beaumont 4, Taylor 11) Great effort from Chloe Tryon, diving to her right at mid-off to a lofted from from Beaumont but she can’t take the catch. Next ball, missed stumping off Taylor! Oh that’s a shocker. Both England players fortunate but Lizelle Lee has had a nightmare there with the gloves. Her keeping on this tour has been terrible and it could cost them big time here.
2nd over: England 13-1 (Beaumont 2, Taylor 10) Taylor didn’t get a bat the other day, shuffled down the order for the boshers after the massive start. She gets a couple to fine leg after a misfield from Ntozakhe. Then a boundary from another misfield - an even worse one - from the same fielder! Urgh! She had the perfect start picking up Wyatt but has now given the danger right-hander a start. She capitalises on it, smashing the last ball of the Kapp over through midwicket to make it back to back fours.
“Are Dani Wyatt and Tammy Beaumont the shortest opening partnership in history?” asls Peter Oxenbury from “a very sunny Taunton.” Sadly, it was short in length as well as height today for the two of them. To be fair, both have ample credit in the bank.
What a start for South Africa! Spin has done it! Extra bounce from Ntozakhe created a false stroke, Wyatt slicing a cut to the former captain du Preez at backward point who makes no mistake. Just what the Proteas needed after these two put on 147 on Wednesday.
1st over: England 2-1 (Beaumont 1, Taylor 0)
Glad to hear Jerusalem is getting a blast. They didn’t used to play it before women’s internationals so the Barmy Army would instead. To be fair, it was their thing to begin with. If this is your jam, I wrote an essay on its cricket origins a couple of years ago. And with that, they players are on the field. Beaumont and Wyatt to open for England after their 147-run stand on Wednesday. The spinner Ntozakhe will be bowling the first over from our end for the visitors. PLAY!
Neglected to mention that you can, and should, keep me company throughout the course of this double-header. I’ll be with you from start to end. Do you agree with Gilchrist, is Taylor the best stumper in the game? Are you at Taunton today folloing the OBO from the stands? Email me, tweet me - you know the drill.
Adam Gilchrist on TMS the other night at Durham declared that Sarah Taylor is the best wicketkeeper on the planet. Too right she is. Our dear friend Vish had a bit of fun with her legside stumpings last week but putting some to music. Hopefully, she’ll get a bat today as well. We’re about ten minutes away from the start, by the way.
England: Danni Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Sarah Taylor (+), Amy Jones, Jenny Gunn, Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Hazell, Sophie Ecclestone.
South Africa: Lizelle Lee (+), Laura Wolvaardt, Dane van Niekerk(c), Mignon du Preez, Sune Luus, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Masabata Klaas, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Zintle Mali.
No surprises there. They are unchanged from Wednesday.
One late change for South Africa, Lackay out sick. Tryon is back.
A bit more on #ShowUp.
For the T20 women’s international double header, England hosting South Africa then New Zealand. They flogged the Proteas by a record margin at the same venue on Wednesday after knocking together a World Record 250-3, so the form speaks for itself.
Some great news off the top: we have a sell out. A couple of hundred tickets are on the gate for walkups, but it will be full. Better still, today is the #ShowUp day - a campaign from Sky Sports and the Women’s Sport Trust to encourage people to attend women’s sport through the summer. A perfect day to pack the ground.
London-Nottingham-Taunton-Durham-London... Taunton. Have caught 2086 runs since Tuesday, anticipating a truckload more at today’s #TriSeries double header. It is #ENGvSA then #ENGvNZ. Brilliant early news: all tickets are sold with a couple hundred on the gate for walkups. pic.twitter.com/001WbmsRd9
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