Guwahati: Relentless spinners, led by Linsey Smith, helped a dominant England outclass South Africa by 10 wickets and make a strong beginning to their ICC Women’s World Cup campaign here on Friday.
Once the Smith-led England bowlers bundled out South Africa for a paltry 69, the match result was hardly ever in doubt. Smith grabbed 3/7 in the rout.
England coasted home in just 14.1 overs with openers Amy Jones (40) and Tammy Beaumont (21) doing the job for them without any trouble.
As was the case in SA’s innings, there was a bit of swing and bite for the bowlers, but England batters were in no mood to enact a horror script of their own.
Veterean pacer Marizanne Kapp bowled a couple of gems to Beaumont but the total could not have been defended with such lonely pieces of magic.
But it was the England spinners — Smith, Sophie Ecclestone (2/19) and Charlie Dean (2/14) — who were the real heroes while setting up an incredibly easy chase for their batters.
Left-arm spinner Smith led the show with an impressive three-wicket haul as South Africa were bundled out for their second lowest total in the ICC Women’s World Cup.
On a pitch that offered a hint of grip to the bowlers, England, who chose to field, handed the ball to Smith (4-2-7-3) in the second over itself and the move fetched an immediate dividend.
Smith gave marching orders to SA skipper Laura Wolvaardt in the second ball of the second over through an easy return catch.
Smith returned in the fourth over to jettison Tazmin Brits with a delivery that came in with the angle, and in the sixth over she ousted the experienced Kapp.
Kapp’s tentative forward prod did not meet the ball as Smith’s delivery crashed onto the stumps.
Pacer Lauren Bell accounted for Sune Luus as South Africa were tottering on 19 for four inside the first six overs, and they never recovered from that point.
Once Kapp, Luuk and Brit, SA’s most consistent batters, returned to the hut, the pressure was entirely on their middle-order batters to take their side to a respectable total.
But they failed to live up to the task, succumbing to a slightly sluggish track and spot-on England bowlers.
England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (2/5), who donned the bowler’s cap after a short while, added to South Africa’s misery, taking out Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk and it also snuffed out any remote chances of a late fight back.
That only Sinalo Jafta crossed two digits in South African innings revealed their struggles on the day.
Wicketkeeper batter Jafta (22) showed some fight, but all she could manage was to save South Africa from crashing to their lowest total in the ICC marquee event, which stands at 51.
