High-flying England Women are T20 World Cup 2024 contenders: Details
What's the story
England Women registered their second consecutive win in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup. They beat South Africa by seven wickets in Sharjah on Monday. With this win, England are top of Group B and are likely to seal progression to the semis. Notably, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the star performers for England. The former scored 43 off 43 balls, while the latter smashed an unbeaten 48 off 36 deliveries. Here are more details.
Bowling
England's spinners steal the show
England's spinners were instrumental in restricting South Africa to a modest total of 124-6. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was especially effective, claiming two wickets for just 15 runs. She has raced to 128 WT20I wickets at just 14.71. Meanwhile, Charlotte Dean and Sarah Glenn were economical and effective. This performance came after England had previously restricted Bangladesh to 97/7 at the same venue on Saturday. Bowling is England's strength and they could make things count further.
Match-winning stand
Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge's partnership seals victory for England
Sciver-Brunt and Wyatt-Hodge's partnership proved to be the key behind England's win over South Africa. The duo added a 64-run stand for the third wicket, following the early dismissals of Maia Bouchier (8 off 20) and Alice Capsey (19 off 16). Their steady performance saw England recover from a shaky start to their chase, with Sciver-Brunt hitting the winning boundary.
Group standings
England now lead Group B in Women's T20 World Cup
With this win, England now lead Group B in the Women's T20 World Cup. They have two more pool matches scheduled against Scotland and West Indies. A win in their next match could virtually see England go through. Their NRR is healthy (+0.653). Meanwhile, South Africa are currently third in the group behind West Indies on NRR. However, with games against Scotland and Bangladesh still to come, they remain hopeful of securing a top-two spot and advancing to the semi-finals.
Fielding woes
England will need to improve their fielding
England's fielding wasn't perfect during South Africa's innings as they dropped four catches. Tazmin Brits (13) was given two reprieves before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Linsey Smith (1/32). Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt (42 off 39) also got a lifeline but was later bowled out by Ecclestone in the 16th over. England will hope to step up and showcase their credentials on the field.