Derby, 26 July
A clean sweep of the series against the Proteas puts the England squad in fine fettle for the Commonwealth Games next week.
Chloe Tryon, skipper at Derby in Sune Luus’ absence, played her trump card straight away, turning to Nonkululeko Mlaba’s left-arm spin. Mlaba bowled excellently, making up for the loss of Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp. Indeed, spinners took seven of the twelve wickets to fall in the match.
Sophia Dunkley, doing so well this summer that she was asked to open the batting, fell victim to cricket’s traditional payback – out first ball, failing to get on top of a square cut.
Alice Capsey, promoted to No 3, walked out to face the second ball. But in the second over Masabata Klaas started a game she will want to forget. Capsey hit her for four consecutive 4s, a straight lofted drive, a square cut, an extra-cover drive and a sweep. Not a slog in sight. Oh, to be 17 without a care in the world!
Mlaba had her caught for 25, but her scoring rate of 147 was exactly what her side wanted. And it still left Danni Wyatt to play her part. She hit a quick 30 before Chloe Tryon clean-bowled her.
That brings up one concern about the batting: some of the dismissals (Sciver, Wyatt…) started with the front foot being pulled away to leg, leaving a lot to a good eye and an even bounce. Canny bowlers will spot this and take full advantage.
But after Dunkley’s demise all the batters had a strike-rate of 100+. Sophie Ecclestone, the batter who bowls a bit, smote 33 off 12 deliveries to top the list at 275. Tryon gave the last over to Klaas who went for an unbelievable 26 runs, Ecclestone alternating fours and sixes.
That late bonus put the game beyond the Proteas’ reach. Tazmin Brits, brought into the squad in Kapp’s place, batted with pugnacity and character, providing the upper order with the sort of conviction it has largely lacked – apart, that is, for the admirable Laura Wolvaardt. Far too great a weight is loaded on her shoulders at present. Ecclestone deceived her (lbw for 13).
The England attack bowled far more accurately, only Izzy Wong proving expensive. But her orders were to bowl as fast as possible and not worry about leaking runs. She clean bowled Lara Goodall early on to prove her worth, then the other 17-year-old debutant, Freya Kemp, had the joy of taking two wickets, the first thanks to a quite astonishing stumping by Amy Jones. Kemp, bowling left-arm over at lively pace, offered a lifter. Jones took it cleanly above her head standing up and had the bails off in a trice. Pure magic.
It was good to see Sarah Glenn close to her very best again. She had the returning Mignon du Preez caught by Capsey off a mistimed drive.
How things look
England’s showing pays great credit to Clare Connor’s new structures for elite women’s cricket in England. The contracts have been immensely beneficial, widening the pool of players who can be considered worthy of selection. Two 17-year-olds in the latest squad paint a positive picture for the future. Neither looked overcome by the situation; both produced mature performances.
The last week or two have been crowded. Alongside the international series, the A team has been taking on New Zealand and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy has been in full swing, underlining the talent on show.
The absence of Heather Knight with a hip injury left an experienced captain in charge, Nat Sciver.
The reverse is true of South Africa’s performance through the series. They really missed Dane van Niekerk’s captaincy; some of the field-settings were hard to work out. With a few notable exceptions, the fielding was lackadaisical, the bowling lacking in basic accuracy.
The absence of a string of leading players revealed the lack of depth CSA possesses at the moment, but the team’s deportment in the field must ask questions about leadership off the field.
They have the CG at Edgbaston to put things right.
Result:
England 176-6 (Mlaba 3-22)
South Africa 138-6 (Brits 59)
England win by 38 runs
Player of the Match: Sophie Ecclestone
Teams
England: Sciver (captain), Dunkley, Wyatt, Capsey, Jones A (w-k), Bouchier, Brunt, Ecclestone, Glenn, Wong, Kemp
South Africa: Tryon (captain), Bosch, Goodall, Brits, Wolvaardt, du Preez, Tucker, Jafta (w-k), Klaas, Khaka, Mlaba
Umpires: Robert Bailey and Sarah Bartlett
England win the series 14-2, the first nation to achieve six straight wins in the multi-format structure.
