South Africa welcomed England for the start of a three-pronged tour, to include a rare test match. But to start, yet another smash-and-grab T20.
Here were the teams for the opening T20 at Buffalo Park, East London:
South Africa
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Suné Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Nondumiso Shangase, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayanda Hlubi
England
Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Maia Bouchier, Sophia Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell
Heather Knight elected to bowl first, but it was Nat Sciver-Brunt who took the new white cherry, not Lauren Bell or Freya Kemp. If accuracy was the watchword, it didn’t work; she went for eight runs.
The strategy was to give the bowlers six balls at a time; nothing very novel about that. After Knight had taken a look at both Ecclestone and Dean, she allowed NSB a second go. She went for 5 singles, but the scoring-rate was hitting 7. It was Charlie Dean’s return that did the trick. She deceived Laura Wolvaardt, who had been in such fine form in Oz, and beat her all ends up. (35-1) The off-spinner proved her worth by having Sune Luus caught six runs later.
In the seventh over we saw a typical Ecclestone double-bluff. Tazmin Brits swept her for four, but Amy Jones removed the bails next ball to leave her stranded. (43-2)
It was the old conundrum for the batters: how many risks to take to keep the scoring-rate high?
Sarah Glenn was held back till after the powerplay. When Anneke Bosch hit her first two deliveries for 10, you could see why. But NSB put a catch down on the edge in the same over, and questions about England’s catching prowess re-emerged. Why had it suddenly become so fragile?
For the England skipper it was the same old problem: to weigh the chance of a wicket against the likelihood of leaking big runs. Lauren Bell had gone for 10 runs off her solitary over; now Freya Kemp had her chance. She proved expensive too, two fours in her first over, but crucially she got past Anneke Bosch’s attempted drive and splattered the woodwork.
Annerie Dercksen and Nondumiso Shangase steadied the ship for the Proteas, taking the score from 64-4 to exactly 100 before Glenn had her first reward, Shangase hitting straight into Ecclestone’s hands in the outer suburbs.
The Proteas’ scoring-rate lagged in the latter stages. Knight gave Ecclestone the nineteenth over. Her figures, 4-0-18-1, again showed her immense value. Even when she’s not reaping a harvest of wickets, batters find it hard taking liberties.
Sadly for Bell, her final over, the 20th, proved more expensive than her previous three. She went for a disastrous 18 runs, including 5 wides down the leg side. Could they cost her side victory?
Our immediate reaction must be: England are still searching for one, preferably two quick bowlers who can be trusted to bowl a line. Far too many deliveries force Jones to sprawl wide on the ground.
A modest total of, say, 124, had leapt to 142.
The Reply
Jon Lewis kept faith with Sophia Dunkley. He even placed her at No 3, which meant giving Nat Sciver-Brunt less time at the crease, however long or short that might be; Heather Knight to follow at No 5. Whatever her detractors say – and they are plenty – she continues to show how to accumulate runs at pace. She averaged 45 for Sydney Thunder, way ahead of her team-mates. By contrast, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones managed 17 and 12.
The innings couldn’t have started better. Maia Bouchier hoisted Nonkululeko Mlaba’s first ball for four. She went for 11 in all. Laura Wolvaardt caused a minor surprise by giving Luus the second over. It cost ten runs; Bouchier had helped herself to 12.
Eliz-Mari Marx, a new name to most English ears, took the third over, and proved more economical – only seven conceded.
Now Wolvaardt turned to a more familiar name, Nadine de Klerk, and she saw DWH on her way. With her 11 she failed to maintain that WBBL average by five. No point in imagining Beaumont on her way to a century. Cricket doesn’t work like that.
Dunkley had a big point to prove; no wonder she played three dot-balls to start. In the next over the doubts about England’s top order bubbled up again. Why did Bouchier decide on a reverse shot? She was undone by Marx.
At the end of the powerplay the score was 42-2; England not capable of hitting big runs without taking dangerous options that fail.
Now it was NSB’s turn to try a back-to-front shot. She missed, but so did the ball.
As the eighth over started, England were falling behind the required rate. Matters grew rapidly worse as Dunkley mishit a ramp to the keeper; her case for retention not made. 4 off 9 balls wasn’t going convince many people, and, in direct consequence, only 3 runs off the over. (55-3)
NSB struck two fine fours in the tenth, but at 65-3, the visitors were well short of halfway to the target.
Things immediately turned a lot worse, a ball from Marx kept a bit low and Knight was gone.
Once more so much depended on NSB. Jones kept her productive company as 59 were hit off 5.5 overs, then Jones swung and missed. NSB had to suffer the torments of a DRS, but got away with it.
Now it was the youngster, Kemp, to prove her worth in testing circumstances.
At the start of the eighteenth NSB struck a splendid four to bring up her 50. Hypocaust was able to inform us at once that her fifteen 50 scores were the most made by any non-opening batter in women’s T20Is. A statistician to match an outstanding batter.
With two left, England were 12 short. The optimist says: “You can get them in two balls!” Runs came off every ball of Mlaba’s 19th, and crucially four byes down the leg-side of the sixth.
Then one of those ironies that make cricket the game it is: a single needed off the last over, and NSB hit the ball straight to square-leg! She had made 59/54 with seven fours.
Ecclestone was deprived of her favourite six to win a match; the deciding ball brought a tame leg- bye, but England had won.
Scores:
South Africa 142-5 (De Klerk 29, Dercksen 26 not out)
England 143-6 (Nat Sciver-Brunt 59, Jones 31, Marx 3-19)
England won by four wickets with four balls left
