Knight: Cool heads key to victory over South Africa
Media release
England captain Heather Knight hailed the calm heads of batters Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge as they ground out a hard-fought victory over South Africa in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup fixture at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The pair combined superbly on another difficult pitch to haul England towards the required total of 125 after a slow start with the bat.
Opener, Wyatt-Hodge, survived the stodgy opening few overs to produce a run-a-ball 43 before eventually falling in the 18th over with the job all but done, while Sciver-Brunt posted an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls to steer her side home.
It leaves England in control of Group B as the only undefeated side ahead of their matches against Scotland and West Indies, and Knight was pleased with the way her side found a way to win against the team that knocked them out in the semi-final of last year’s tournament.
“I think that was a really controlled win,” she said. “We controlled the middle overs when they were batting and really restricted them. The pitch was slightly better than the other day but we still thought it was going to be a tricky chase. It has been really tough to chase here but I thought we controlled that chase brilliantly.
“Nat a cool, calm head as well as Danni, that partnership was outstanding to watch. You could see her [Wyatt-Hodge] getting frustrated out there. She is not used to scoring at a 100 strike-rate. That is what it is going to take on these pitches sometimes.
“We have talked a lot about it and just finding a way, being really ruthless with it. She did brilliantly, finding smart options. You can almost predict what she was going to do in the dugout.
“Her and Nat, that was a proper partnership. They have had a few together but the way they controlled it, the smartness, the physicality, it was a proper job.”
England also benefitted from another impressive performance at a T20 World Cup from bowler Sophie Ecclestone, who took two for 15 from her four overs to restrict South Africa in the middle overs.
It proved crucial as South Africa were ultimately unable to get enough runs on the board, and Knight was thrilled to see her star bowler perform on the big stage.
She added: “They are the sort of games I love captaining as you feel like you can make a real difference. The girls bowled outstandingly again. We backed up what we did the other night. Sophie was back to her best, the way she bowled made it really tough. She seemed to get a little bounce, I don’t know how, she seems the only one that gets a bit of bounce out there. It was a proper performance.”
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt also highlighted her side’s middle overs with the bat as key to the outcome of the contest, as she admitted her side felt they left runs out in the middle after finishing on 124 for six.
“We are obviously very disappointed,” she said. “I think 10-20 more runs with the bat could have been interesting.
“We didn’t take our chances in the field but the bowlers bowled quite well. We just have to tighten up on the other two.”
“When we started batting, we were talking about a 140 mark. We had that period after the powerplay where we lost our way a little bit and then had some big hitters come in in the end. We could have started that a bit earlier.”
Wolvaardt top-scored for her side with 42 alongside a quickfire 26 from Marizanne Kapp, who also impressed with the ball to restrict England in the powerplay.
It is exactly the kind of form her captain hopes she can take into games against Bangladesh and Scotland, with South Africa likely needing to win both to ensure progression.
“I don’t think you can ask for much more with the new ball,” added Wolvaardt. “The spinners, the control in the middle could have been a little bit better but it is so tough to bowl to these batters who have all the shots. It feels like all of them have all the shots so it is difficult to set fields.”
ENDS