Today was one important match for the T20 world cup. The top two contenders of the championship were facing each other. England and South Africa were contesting in the much-awaited tournament.
As fans would have hoped, WACA saw a close encounter with teams getting a result in the final over. Winning the toss, Protea women chose to bowl first. English side when batting first with Sciver got a half-century. South African chase was dramatic with missed chances, failed review and a DRS warning off the last phase.
Crucial Half-Century for @englandcricket by Natalie Sciver.
England: 123/8 (20.0) #T20WorldCup | #WT20WC | #WeAreEngland | #AlwaysRising | #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/1oWesLJDJZ
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) February 23, 2020
Importantly, the two top contenders of the tournament lost their first games. Aussies lost to the Indian spin attack while England was left off by South Africa. The protea chase was however incredible and South Africa deserved victory. Protea skipper scored an important 46 with Africa needing 33 in the last 3 overs. England had their hope high in the 17th over which gave just one run and dismissal of in-form van Niekerk.
The match which went into the arms of England saw a series of misfortunes for the English side. In the next over, we saw the English side giving byes and dropping chances. Proceedings came to final over with South Africa needing nine off last overs. The over started well with a yorker and two runs of two deliveries. Du Preez scored six off the third ball over square leg. The scores leveled with last runs scored off similar region.
English captain looked optimist and gave credit to South African skipper. She added that the match went tight and there was a lot to take home. It was evident that the English side lost the game mainly due to its batting. England has suffered recent losses due to its batting. Average scores have increased significantly in the last two years. Many experts have felt that the English side is wasting Tammy at number 7. She has been scoring well for the last few innings with centuries down her belt. She is being used as a finisher but got only 14 balls in the match.
Fans from England would hope that the team management takes note of the issues early and rectify the issues England are now going to play their three next matches as knockouts if they have to qualify for the semis. They have to face another match against Thailand who has played competitively in their first venture. South African women will, on the other hand, sit comfortably. English experts would hope that the match against Windies doesn’t turn out to be a tough game as the match is a virtual quarter-final. The quality of cricket in the tournament is a joy for fans around the world and is expected to attract attention from the globe.
Hugs, high fives, and plenty of relieved faces 😅
The aftermath of a thriller.#ENGvSA | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/3WH7shfmEl
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 23, 2020
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.
