England won the second T20 at a canter. So all’s well?
We’ll see.
The first query was whether Jon Lewis would make immediate changes in the light of the opening performance in East London.
He did, by replacing Lauren Bell with her namesake Filer. But he retained Sophia Dunkley at No. 3, the other big question-mark. Sad to report, Dunkley lasted two balls without scoring, to be undone by a straight one from Ayanda Hlubi.
We can hardly claim Lauren Filer’s introduction brought a vast improvement to England’s opening attack. All we can say of her return (4-0-30-0) is that it proved better than Sophie Ecclestone’s 4-0-40-0 – one of her off-days.
It’s very rare in cricket to find an entire team on top of its game; that’s one of its strange attractions. But we might ask why Dunkley and Bell are both finding life so hard at present. One common response is to point at the coaching staff.
Both players present limitations in their natural style of play. Bell’s orthodox delivery moves the ball from off to leg, reminiscent of Anya Shrubsole. A coach’s temptation is to add variation, an outswinger or at least a ball that holds its line. Attempts made to alter Bell’s action have thus far been a failure, and the fault doesn’t lie with her.
Dunkley didn’t have an orthodox introduction to the game, hence her unusual grip on the bat, the two hands held a distance apart. Did a coach reach for an ancient copy of the MCC coaching manual and invite her to place her hands closer together? Whatever advice was given, it has served to remove the confidence she used to show at the crease.
Runs galore
England hit an astonishing 204-4, enough to win most T20s. The bulk came from Danni Wyatt-Hodge (78/45), who was in ‘see-it, hit-it’ form and inevitably Nat Sciver-Brunt (67*/43). The captain added a typically unobtrusive 26/19; then Amy Jones completed the slaughter with 15*/7. But her scoring-rate couldn’t match Maia Bouchier’s. Unfortunately for her, her opening knock confirmed her critics’ view; she hit two imperious fours in nine balls, and was gone.
So once more the bulk of the runs came from the old hands, 186/204.
The Reply
Fatalists would say the result was known before the players left the field for the break. That is a cardinal weakness of the limited overs game. Local hopes were diminished when Tazmin Brits departed with a single on the board. She was late on a pull to an NSB delivery and caught at mid-wicket by Charlie Dean. The skipper Laura Wolvaardt led from the front as usual (25/21). She hit two consecutive fours off Dean, but when Dean forced a misjudgement next ball, the gasps of disappointment from the home team could be heard halfway across the world. Filer held on to a good catch at short third.
This was already the tenth over, and the Proteas had reached only 66-3. The middle-order batted solidly, but Faye Tunnicliffe couldn’t push the rate ahead fast enough.
It was Sarah Glenn’s turn to lead the spin-attack. She came close to completing a rare 5-fer in a T20, but had to be satisfied with a commanding 4-0-20-4.
Scores:
England: 204-4
South Africa 168-6
Player of the Match: Sarah Glenn
England won by 36 runs to take a winning 2-0 lead
Teams
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Faye Tunnicliffe, Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nondumiso Shangase, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (w-k), Eliz-Mari Marx, Ayanda Hlubi, Nonkululeko Mlaba
England: Maia Bouchier, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Sophia Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (w-k), Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Filer
With the 3-match series already won, we will get another chance to see Lewis’ overall selection strategy. Will he play safe, or give the also-rans a chance at Centurion on Saturday, or look further ahead to the ODI series, starting at Kimberley on Wednesday?
