After plundering 246 in Stellenbosch, England may have sent a message to the globe, but South Africa also made a statement, falling short by only 17 runs in a powerful reply. The hosts of the competition made good progress in their chase, but they ran out of gas after losing Chloe Tryon and Tazmin Brits as the necessary rate climbed past 15 an over. The Proteas’ highest score came from Tryon, 65 off 23 balls.
Prior to Alice Capsey and Nat Sciver-and Brunt’s Sophia Dunkley’s rapid-fire fifty-sixes in England’s innings, which came off just 19 balls and featured nine fours and three sixes, the English team made a statement. Dunkley started the inning with a boundary off Shabnim Ismail, scoring seven of the eight runs in the first over and only picking up speed later in the powerplay.
Although the early blitz led England to a score of 79/1 in the first six overs, Ismail eventually defeated the opener for the first wicket. Even after the fielding limits were restored, the Proteas received little reprieve because the three half-century scorers and Maia Bouchier kept up the pressure.
Post the match, Nadine de Klerk who kept the wheel rotating for the hosts with an unbeaten 27-ball 50, took to the words to remark, “It’s going to be very similar to India what we have been facing in London. They’re going to stall a lot of spinners but we have a lot of prep with a lot of spinners playing India and the West Indies in slow conditions, so I think we have to take confidence from this game as well.”
“I know it was a bit different, but we need to be confident, we need to back ourselves. I think there are a few players that have been in really good touch in the last couple of games. So we have to take that confidence into the game and just really back ourselves regardless of the opponents that we are getting,” she added.
She looked pumped up assuring to take confidence from the concluded fixture against England. She talked about beating India in the tougher conditions and chasing 250 on the board which made her feel special which in turn is going to give too much of strength and confidence while going into the first game of the tournament, also while facing Australia and New Zealand further.
