England crush Proteas women to seal T20I series

England women produced a top performance to crush the Proteas women by 36-runs in the second T20 International at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Wednesday night, to secure the three game series with a match to play.

After losing the opener by four wickets in the opening match in East London on Sunday, the Proteas needed to bounce back with a win, but were completely outplayed to surrender the series ahead of the final game at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday.

Batting first half centuries from Dani Wyatt-Hodge and Nat Sciver-Brunt powered England to a big 204/4 in their 20 overs, before Sarah Glenn led the bowling effort picking up 4/20 to help restrict the Proteas to 168/6 in response.

“It was probably not our best performance all-round,” admitted a disappointed Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt after the match.

“I think we let them get too many with the bat, we didn’t take our chances in the field and it wasn’t our best effort with the bat either.

“I think we got carried away by the extra bounce, maybe went a bit too short and wide (with the ball). It felt like a lot of runs were scored through the offside and when I was batting they really tucked me up quite well and bowled in good areas. So they executed a lot better on this wicket.

“It should be a similar surface on the weekend (at SuperSport Park), so I think we can definitely look at where we went wrong and rectify a lot.”

In the chase the Proteas needed to get off to a good start, but opener Tazmin Brits sliced Sciver-Brunt to Charlie Dean at mid-wicket as they slipped to 1/1 in the first over.

Wolvaardt (25) and Faye Tunnicliffe (22) then struggled in the face of some disciplined England bowling as they ended the powerplay on 30/1.

Tunnicliffe’s tough 28-ball stay finally came to an end in the eighth over, bowled by Glenn, with the score 43/2.

Annerie Dercksen, 24 off 15 balls (2x4; 2x6) tried to spark something by cracking back-to-back sixes off Freya Kemp at the start of the ninth over, but in the next, after hitting back-to-back fours, Wolvaardt sliced Dean to Lauren Filer at short third as they slipped to 66/3.

That brought Chloe Tryon, 30 off 24 (4x4; 1x6) in and along with Dercksen they needed a big stand to get their side close, but their chances effectively ended in the 12th over when Glenn bowled Dercksen and Nondumiso Shangase off consecutive balls to reduce them to 86/5.

Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, 32no off 21 (4x4; 1x6) and Sinalo Jafta, 17no off nine (2x4; 1x6) struck some lusty blows down the back end of the innings, but the rate required was too high and they fell well short in the end.

In the first innings the Proteas had only themselves to blame, after a terrible bowling and fielding performance, gave Wyatt-Hodge, dropped on nine and 29, and Sciver-Brunt, dropped on 25, lifelines in their innings.

That allowed Wyatt-Hodge to hammer 15 fours and a six on her way to 75 off 45 balls, while Sciver-Brunt cracked nine fours and a six in an unbeaten 67 off 43, to get their side to an extremely daunting total.

At the start of play the Proteas won the toss and chose to bowl, which looked to be the correct call after they got off to a good start.

In the second over Ayanda Hlubi, having been hit for back-to-back boundaries by Maia Bouchier (9), had her caught by Brits at mid-wicket, and then bowled new batter Sophia Dunkley off an inside edge for a second ball duck, to reduce them to 15/2.

But that was basically as good as it got for the Proteas as Wyatt-Hodge and Sciver-Brunt combined for a 112-run third wicket partnership.

However Wyatt-Hodge should have been gone at the end of the third over, after getting a thick edge to a ball from De Klerk, but keeper Jafta, who put in the dive and got a good glove to it, shelled the chance.

Having reached the end of the powerplay on 48/2, Wyatt-Hodge received her second lifeline at the start of the seventh over, top edging Dercksen to deep third where Nonkululeko Mlaba let the ball go through her hands.

That allowed her to kick on and she cruised to her half century in style in the next over, launching a Mlaba full toss back over her head for six, and powering a four through the covers.

At the start of the 11th over England brought up the 100, followed by Sciver-Brunt top edging Mlaba to short fine leg where Hlubi dropped her as things went from bad to worse.

Wyatt-Hodge finally fell in the 13th over, bowled by De Klerk, but the carnage continued as captain Heather Knight. 26 off 19 (3x4) and Sciver-Brunt combined for a 54-run stand.

Sciver-Brunt brought up her fifty in the 16th over with back-to-back fours off Eliz-Mari Marx, while Knight fell at the start of the 19th, popping a return catch to bowler De Klerk, but that didn’t phase England as they finished strong.

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Faye Tunnicliffe, Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nondumiso Shangase, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayanda Hlubi

ENGLAND: Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Maia Bouchier, Sohpia Dunkley, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (capt), Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Filer