Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, with the Proteas Women suffering an embarrassing defeat in their opening World Cup match against England on Friday.
South Africa’s scorecard resembled a phone book: 5, 5, 2, 4, 6 were the scores for the first five batters, until Sinalo Jafta’s 22, and the rest of the innings looking as bad as the top: 2, 3, 3, 6, 3.
The eight extras served up by the English were the Proteas’ second highest score.
The total of 69, in 20.4 overs, was South Africa’s third lowest in ODIs. England reached the target of 70 with 35.5 overs to spare without losing a wicket.
It was disastrous for Laura Wolvaardt’s team. The toss went England’s way — as did the remaining three hours the match lasted.
Nat Sciver-Brunt chose to open the bowling with Linsey Smith’s slow left-arm offerings.
The Proteas looked shocked at the use of such a tactic and all the work of the past nine months on tours to Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan — where batting against spin and most importantly scoring more proficiently against slower bowlers was so vital — was thrown to hills dotted around Guwahati.
Instead of a proactive approach, there was tentativeness from all the Proteas batters, who were stuck on the crease, wafting at deliveries.
“We were a bit ‘pushy’,” Wolvaardt said afterwards. “That is not the way we wanted to start the tournament. It was not our best work with the bat.”
That assertiveness seen from Tazmin Brits in recent months was on display for one ball when she thrashed English seamer Lauren Bell through the covers in the first over. Against Smith, however, Brits was rooted to the crease and missed a ball drifting into her and lost her leg-stump.
Before that, Wolvaardt chipped the second ball Smith bowled straight back to the bowler to give England the perfect start.
Bell knocked out Sune Luus’ off stump and when Marizanne Kapp was bowled between bat and pad by Smith to leave South Africa 19/4 in the sixth over, the match as a contest was over.
Jafta hit three fours and faced 36 balls in her innings and looked the most assured of the Proteas batters, even if she was fortunate when England wicketkeeper Amy Jones missed a simple stumping when she had eight.
Jafta was, given her record, somewhat surprisingly sent in at No 6, but the work she’s been doing in the nets looks to have paid dividends. She drove crisply, got onto the front foot confidently — unlike her teammates — and was able to find the gaps.
But South Africa couldn’t forge any partnerships and England, who’d come into the tournament with a point to prove after a horrendous Women’s Ashes tour last summer and a poor showing in last year’s T20 World Cup, were dominant.
Smith finished with 3/7 in four overs, while Sophie Ecclestone, usually England’s main spin weapon, picked up two wickets with Sciver-Brunt and Charlie Dean.
With no demons in the pitch, England raced to their victory target in the 15th over, with Jones making an unbeaten 40.
The Proteas don’t have a lot of time to shake off Friday’s disappointment. On Saturday they take a four-and-half-hour flight west to Indore, where they will prepare to face New Zealand on Monday. The Kiwis also lost their opening match against Australia.
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