Ecclestone and Sciver-Brunt marshal England to victory over SA in the Women’s T20 World Cup Group B match in Dubai.
Ecclestone and Sciver-Brunt were the architects in a measured display as England get the better of South Africa.
Against South Africa, Nat Sciver-Brunt delivered one of the World Cup’s best innings to lead England home. Her 48 not out was not only the most substantial of the match, it was also the most aggressive, coming off 36 deliveries.
With 125 runs to chase, Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s 64-run partnership turned the tide of the game in England’s favour.
The skipper of South Africa won the toss in a clear bat-first position and looked great scoring 22 off 15 balls during the powerplay. She was unable to find the boundary for the remainder of her innings, which lasted until the 16th over, when England’s spinners put the brakes on her.
Her singles and twos helped her to maintain a respectable scoring rate. However, South Africa required a total of at least 150 to feel secure against an England batting order of that calibre.
Charlie Dean, the offspinner, and legspinner Sarah Glenn bowled 12 overs for 58 runs and four wickets. Sophie Ecclestone bowled the other end. Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith also claimed 1 for 32 in her four overs.
However, Ecclestone and Glenn’s precise, diverse bowling was what actually limited the amount of runs scored throughout the middle overs. Ecclestone claimed the two largest wickets against the opposition. In the sixteenth over, she bowled Laura Wolvaardt. And in the nineteenth over, he struck Marizanne Kapp’s advancing stumps with another blow. She finished with figures of 2 for 15 from her four – the best returns in the game.
Despite taking care not to lose wickets early on, England needed a boost of energy during the middle overs. It was Sciver-Brunt’s turn to supply it. At the crease, she showed quick movement and struck her fourth ball for four behind square on the offside. At that point, she started to get into her routine of picking runs through the legside.
Even though it was a slow surface, she would often shuffle to off and aim for the square leg boundary against the spinners. However, timing was not always perfect. She scored four boundaries and struck 32 of her runs in the arc between deep midwicket and fine leg.
Despite Wyatt-Hodge being out for 11 runs in the last two overs, Sciver-Brunt finished the game with a four in each of the final two overs.