Nat Sciver-Brunt’s composed half-century (59 off 54 balls), and a blistering cameo from wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones gave England a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. A high-scoring 2nd T20I saw England emerge victorious and bag the series win.
Dani Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt fifties power England to a massive total
England got off to a poor start, losing Maia Bouchier and Sophia Dunkley in the 2nd over of the innings after the South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field first at Willowmoore Park, Benoni. Ayanda Hlubi provided both breakthroughs for the home side. Lauren Filer replaced Lauren Bell for England in the playing 11 and South Africa made a couple of changes as Chloe Tryon replaced Anneke Bosch and Faye Tunnicliffe replaced Sune Luus in the playing 11.
Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Danielle Wyatt-Hodge at the crease and the duo stitched a massive 112-run 3rd wicket partnership to take their side closer to the 130-run mark. Nadine de Klerk cleaned up the opening batter Danielle Wyatt Hodge (78 off 45 balls) to provide the much-needed breakthrough for South Africa. England eventually surmounted a huge total of 204/4 in their quota of 20 overs, on the back of another 54-run 4th wicket partnership between skipper Heather Knight (26 off 19 balls), and Nat Sciver-Brunt (67* off 43 balls).
The pair of Dani Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt had a major impact in taking England past the 200-run mark, scoring 71% of the team’s runs. Nadine de Klerk (4-0-36-2), Chloe Tryon (4-0-36-0), and Ayanda Hlubi (2-0-19-2) were the standouts with the ball for South Africa.
Sarah Glenn’s four-wicket haul ensures England a series win
Chasing a mountainous total of 205, the home side lost Tazmin Brits for a duck in the first over of the run chase. Nat Sciver-Brunt provided the first breakthrough for England. Faye Tunnicliffe joined skipper Laura Wolvaardt at the crease and the duo steadied the ship with a much-needed 42-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side closer to the 50-run mark. Sarah Glenn picked up her first wicket of the day in the form of Faye Tunnicliffe to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
The home side suffered a mini collapse as they found themselves in trouble at 86/5 in the 12th over of the run chase. South Africa eventually fell short of the target by 36 runs as they were restricted to 168/6 in their quota of 20 overs. A spirited effort from Chloe Tryon (30 off 24 balls) and Nadine de Klerk formed a crucial 43-run 6th wicket partnership, followed by another crucial unbeaten 39-run 7th wicket stand between Nadine de Klerk (32* off 21 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Sinalo Jafta (17* off 9 balls) which wasn’t enough for the home side to level the T20I series.
Sarah Glenn (4-0-20-4), Nat Sciver-Brunt (4-0-32-1), and Lauren Filer (4-0-30-0) were the stand-out performers with the ball for England. Sarah Glenn was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational spell, playing a crucial role in helping her side seal the T20I series after they posted a massive total on the board.
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