Innings South Africa 233 for 8 (Wolvaardt 61) vs England
After successful the toss and selecting to bowl first, England have been made to work for his or her breakthroughs, principally by Wolvaardt, South Africa’s captain, who cemented her standing because the ICC’s No.1-ranked ODI batter with a glowing innings, studded with a spread of her trademark cowl drives.
South Africa selected to make 4 modifications to the facet that misplaced by six wickets in Sunday’s second ODI – a call that Wolvaardt had not sounded particularly happy about when it was raised on the toss. However, after no opening stands past the sixth over in any of their earlier 5 contests, she did at the least discover in Lara Goodall, opening alongside her instead of Tazmin Brits, a sufficiently doughty accomplice so as to add 50 for the primary wicket within the powerplay.
England themselves selected to relaxation their quickest bowler, Lauren Filer, regardless of her telling blows in that second contest, however their hopes of a equally flying begin have been dealt an much more vital blow after simply 5 balls of the match. Cross slumped to the turf in her followthrough, clearly distressed after struggling a again spasm. She was helped from the sector, with Alice Capsey bowling the ultimate ball of her over, leaving the seam-bowling duties within the palms of Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Bell duly made the primary breakthrough within the ultimate over of the powerplay, when Goodall lofted a size ball to mid-on simply moments after a agency clip for 4 off her pads, whereupon Anneka Bosch, one other change to the line-up, wanted 11 deliveries to document her first run earlier than dwelling as much as her identify with a trio of crunchy boundaries again down the bottom off the spinners.
On 19, nonetheless, Bosch drove too loosely by means of the road off Capsey – on whom Heather Knight had been compelled to rely in Cross’s absence – and popped a easy likelihood to Sciver-Brunt at mid-off. One over later, South Africa’s sturdy begin was trying wobbly at 107 for 3, as Sophie Ecclestone skidded a flat trajectory into Wolvaardt’s pad, and extracted the on-field lbw verdict regardless of ball-tracker confirming it was a marginal leg-sided name.
Not for the primary time on this collection, South Africa have been culpable of their subsequent slide. On 14, Nadine de Klerk reacted too slowly to Marizanne Kapp’s name for a fast single into the covers, and was crushed by Maia Bouchier’s sharp return to Amy Jones, whereas Annerie Dercksen’s responsible look on the umpire arguably sealed her destiny when Charlie Dean pinned her lbw for 13 – one other choice that was proven to be clipping the bails.
At 156 for five with 18 overs to come back, Kapp and Chloe Tryon had the facility and poise to offer the massive end. However each batters fell for 2 runs within the house of 9 balls – Kapp to a misjudged launch to long-on off Capsey for 19, and Tryon to a rush of blood on the finish of Ecclestone’s eighth over, as she gave her the cost to be stumped for 20.
Masabata Klaas then spooned a limp drive to mid-off to depart for a seven-ball duck, however England’s hopes of a fast kill at 201 for 8 have been thwarted by Mieke de Ridder and Nonkululeko Mlaba, who batted out the ultimate 45 balls of the innings to eke out a helpful 32-run stand.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
