In the ongoing ICC t20 World Cup, there are many things going on to hook you up to the television set – be it from batters, bowlers or fielders. Only the fourth game is taking place in Perth between England and South Africa and you have probably seen one of the best fielders – Shabnim Ismail, the speedster from South Africa.
Both the teams have been playing the first game in the tournament this year where South Africa elected to field first. Their decision became fruitful when England lost both their openers within the powerplay. After getting a good start from Amy Jones, she tried to clear the in-field. But due a short of a length delivery, she didn’t get the elevation and Chloe Tryon took an easy catch in the mid-off.
Danielle Wyatt too failed to contribute as she hit a low full toss straight to the point region. She failed to read Ayabonga Khaka’s pace that came at 104kph and went for a drive but it sliced it straight to Lizelle Lee who did the rest.
After two early wickets, England started struggling in the middle. The onus fell upon the captain Heather Knight and Natalie Sciver – the experienced pair of the batting line up. However, it was a matter of a few deliveries as Knight failed to carry her formidable form from the recently-concluded Tri-series forward.
Read here: Dark Horse South Africa Look for an Upset against Favourite England
It was the second ball of the 9th over when South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk tried to hit big with a lofted shot. It seemed to be a boundary to everyone but Shabnim Ismail had some other plan. She ran towards her left at long-on and took a stunner and left everyone surprised with her brilliant fielding.
However, her dismissal came as a shock as the middle order failed to contribute much apart from Natalie Sciver. She steadied the ship in the middle and smashed a 40-ball 50 with 5 fours and a six before getting dismissed in the penultimate over. England managed to put up a below-par total of 123 runs for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
