Women’s WC: Spinners Call Shots as England Bundle Out South Africa for 69

Guwahati: Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith led the show with an impressive three-wicket effort as England bowled out South Africa for a woeful 69, their second-lowest total in the ICC Women’s World Cup here on Friday.

On a pitch that offered a hint of grip to the bowlers, England, who chose to field, handed the ball to Smith (4-2-7-3) in the second over itself and the move fetched an immediate dividend.

Smith gave marching orders to SA skipper Laura Wolvaardt in the second ball of the second over through an easy return catch.

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Smith returned in the fourth over to jettison Tazmin Brits with a delivery that came in with the angle, and in the sixth over, she ousted the experienced Marizanee Kapp.

Kapp’s tentative forward prod did not meet the ball as Smith’s delivery crashed onto the stumps.

Pacer Lauren Bell accounted for Sune Luus as South Africa were tottering on 19 for four inside the first six overs, and they never recovered from that point.

Once Kapp, Luuk, and Brit, SA’s most consistent batters, returned to the hut, the pressure was entirely on their middle-order batters to take their side to a respectable total.

But they failed to live up to the task, succumbing to a slightly sluggish track and relentless England bowlers..

England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (2/5) added to South Africa’s misery, taking out Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk, and it also snuffed out any remote chances of a late fight back.

That only Sinalo Jafta crossed two digits in the South African innings revealed their struggles on the day..

Wicketkeeper batter Jafta (22) showed some fight, but all she could manage was to save South Africa from crashing to their lowest total in the ICC marquee event, which stands at 51.