South Africa underlined their status as a legitimate force in the women’s game, thrashing an off-the-pace England side by seven wickets – their first triumph against the world champions in this country since 2003 – to begin the three-match ODI series in style at Worcester.
Bad as it was, the result would have been an utter disaster for the hosts if not for Katherine Brunt. The champion mainstay of the home side compiled a measured then punishing unbeaten 72 before claiming one of two early wickets that briefly bolstered local hope.
Later, the Barnsley champion again kept her side’s head above water, claiming a spectacular diving catch when the Proteas still had 55 to collect for the win. But when the decision was overturned by the third umpire, the game was as good as done.
Having tallied 189 for nine, England’s lowest total on their own turf since 2011, it was going to take only one meaningful partnership to suck the life from the contest and it was delivered by the captain, Dane van Niekerk, and Lizelle Lee. The pair put on 113 with assertive hands of 58 and 92 not out after falling to five for two.
With no fuss at all, they picked apart an attack that lacked a potent third seamer to complement Brunt and Anya Shrubsole. By contrast, South Africa’s pace attack combined perfectly to reduce Heather Knight’s side to 61 for five before Brunt’s intervention.
The most impressive element of Brunt’s hand was the way she tailored her strokeplay to the circumstances. To begin, she made three from 23 balls before making her next 69 from 75, her last 50 runs coming in 35 deliveries at the death as pressure transferred back on to the visitors. Not bad for a player who for the bulk of her career was a specialist bowler who at best gave it a whack at the end.
The major damage was done by the time the Worcester Cathedral gonged for midday, an hour into the England innings. Amy Jones looked the part in the opening exchanges but chopped-on the South African quick Shabnim Ismail when 19 – the next highest score after Brunt. In her first game for England this year, Sarah Taylor was also trapped by Ismail. Knight was adjudicated lbw off Marizanne Kapp not long after walking out at No 4.
Tammy Beaumont never looked a threat, bowled by Ayabonga Khaka’s first ball, leaving England 39 for four and raising questions about the decision to bat first under cloud cover. That had little to do with those dismissals, nor the soft catch Nat Sciver gave midwicket or the poorly executed slap Danni Wyatt hit to point, giving Khaka three scalps in a hurry.
The veterans Brunt and Jenny Gunn went into crisis control, making 15 in the 12 overs they were together, the latter dismissed for four from 41 balls. The strongest point of interest when she holed out at 80 for seven was if England would fail to reach 100 for the first time since 2005.
Brunt is too proud for that, though. When Shrubsole ran herself out with the score on 98, she shifted gears. Alongside Laura Marsh, another experienced operator, she went up the gears.
Then, when Ecclestone entered at No 11 with 33 balls remaining (five short of her half-century) she put the foot down, striking five searing boundaries in the final three overs to ensure the healthy crowd would enjoy their sandwiches.
Sure enough, beginning the defence of their total Brunt was first in the book when cutting Laura Wolvaardt in half. Two balls later, from the bowling of Shrubsole, Sune Luus was stumped down the legside by Taylor through a piece of genius glovework that goes straight to her healthy highlight reel.
Enter Van Niekerk. With Lee she took the attack to Brunt, but more importantly, immediately launched into Gunn’s first over, smacking 11 from it. In complete control, the next double-digit over was the 24th when the captain moved to 50 through consecutive boundaries off Marsh, also raising the 100-run partnership between the pair.
She was bowled by Shrubsole when on 58, the breakthrough coming at 118 for three. But at that point, Lee had the perfect partner to join her for the finishing touches – former captain Mignon du Preez (36 not out) – to ensure that they would go 1-0 up in the most straightforward fashion with 27 balls to spare.
The England coach, Mark Robinson, had discussed the importance of Brunt, who missed the side’s spring tour of India to help extend her career. “I’m selfish: I want her to play as long as she can,” he said in noting how much she was missed on that trip. “We’ll have to manage her to get the best out of her all the time. That’s why you’re desperate for other players to come through to take the pressure off her.” Now, perhaps, more than ever.
