Sunday 7 February 2016

England women beat South Africa in weather-hit ODI

Player of the match Anya Shrubsole took the first four South Africa wickets to fall
Thunder, lightning and rain could not stop England from beating South Africa in their first one-day international under new coach Mark Robinson.
Opener Trisha Chetty hit 90 for the Proteas after they won the toss in Benoni, but Anya Shrubsole's 4-29 helped England bowl them out for 196.
The weather twice halted the tourists' reply at 63-2 and 120-3.
But when it relented, they comfortably reached their Duckworth/Lewis target of 150 with six-and-a-half overs to spare.

Robinson's new order

The clearest indication of a new approach under Robinson came with a change in batting order, with Lauren Winfield and Amy Jones chosen as a more attacking pair to open the innings, and captain Charlotte Edwards dropping to number three.
While Winfield fell for 10, Jones (34 from 27 balls) and Edwards (33) had England well on the way to victory before the weather held them up.
When the lightning finally abated, Sarah Taylor (41 not out) and Heather Knight (26 not out) were left with the relatively simple task of scoring 30 in 10 overs.
Taylor, playing her 99th ODI, finished the match in style with a lofted drive for four as England won with 39 balls to spare.

Shrubsole shines amid the lightning

Shrubsole is one of the leading female pace bowlers in the world, as seen when she was chosen as the player of the tournament at the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014, despite England's defeat in the final.
And while her new-ball partner Katherine Brunt was wicketless, Shrubsole delivered for England once again, taking the first four wickets to fall.
That included two crucial wickets in successive deliveries as captain Mignon du Preez (38) holed out to Knight at mid-wicket after adding 93 with Chetty, and the experienced Marizanne Kapp was trapped lbw next ball.
Wicketkeeper Chetty lasted until the 46th over when she was seventh out, caught behind off Knight's off-spin, and England swiftly wrapped up the tail.

The pundit's view

Ex-England batter Ebony Rainford-Brent on BBC Test Match Special:
"Shrubsole normally gets the ball to move in any conditions, and she stood out by a mile. Brunt wasn't at her best, she bowled a number of wides, but the rest bowled OK. Heather Knight bowled well, Rebecca Grundy was OK and Jenny Gunn bowled nice and straight.
"Up to 2009, England were dominating and leading the world. Since then, they've stagnated and not kicked on - someone like Australia captain Meg Lanning has come in and scored as many or more hundreds than Sarah Taylor, for instance. She can take a game away from people.
"So there's a feeling that England want to be more aggressive, with Winfield and Jones up front. Robinson will challenge England to step the game up. This was a good, solid start."

What next?

The sides meet in two more one-day internationals at Centurion (12 February) and Johannesburg (14 February). All three count towards the ICC Women's Championship which determines qualification for the 2017 World Cup.

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