Commonwealth Games, Day 2 Wrap: England, New Zealand impress with wins

Toss: Sri Lanka elected to bat first

**Result:**England win by five wickets

Australia v Pakistan Scorecard

England got their Commonwealth Games campaign off to a strong start with a clinical five-wicket triumph over a gallant Sri Lanka.

The hosts didn't have it all their own way for the entire match, but the gulf in experience between the two sides finally told as England chased down the required target at the start of the 18th over.

Veteran seamer Katherine Brunt allowed just eight runs from her three overs to set the tone for England, while star spinner Sophie Ecclestone picked up 3/25 to ensure Sri Lanka could only reach 106/9 from their 20 overs.

England's chase got off to a poor start with Danni Wyatt dismissed in the second over, but the class of Alice Capsey (44) and Maia Bouchier (21*) shone through to help guide the home side to victory.

There were some positive signs for Sri Lanka, with Nilakshi de Silva top-scoring with a well-compiled 25 to ensure the visitors could post a competitive target.

Experienced spinners Inoka Ranaweera (3/29) and Oshadi Ranasinghe (2/20) combined for five wickets during England's run chase and showed enough to suggest they can cause other teams some problems during the tournament.

Toss: South Africa elected to field first

**Result:**New Zealand win by 13 runs

MATCH CENTRE

Put into bat first, New Zealand had a fantastic opening stand from their two experienced campaigners, Suzie Bates and skipper Sophie Devine. Though not overly aggressive, the pair expertly handled any threat the South African bowlers posed. They also scored at a decent click, putting the bad deliveries away. Their partnership fell merely 1 run short of the 100-run mark, as Devine was dismissed by Nonkululeko Mlaba on 48.

Bates though carried on with her charge, steadily increasing the scoring rate. She got decent support from Amelia Kerr, who ended on an unbeaten 16-ball 20. Bates' fantastic knock of 91 would end on the final delivery of the New Zealand innings, as she was run-out, pushing for a run. But her exploits ensured that New Zealand ended with a total of 167/2 on the board.

In reply, South Africa were rocked quite early in their chase, losing both their openers. Anneke Bosch (3) was dismissed by Hayley Jensen, while Hannah Rowe sent Tazmin Brits packing. South Africa simply could not recover from these early setbacks, meandering along in their chase.

Mignon du Preez (26) and Laura Wolvaardt (28) steadied the ship, but could not keep up with the required rate. Chloe Tryon was the most impressive batter, scoring 39 in only 17 deliveries but was run out at the most inopportune moment.

Skipper Sune Luus (32 off 18) tried her best, but South Africa ended up being short by 13 runs, as New Zealand began their Commonwealth Games 2022 campaign in style.