Sports Desk
ISLAMABAD (February 28, 20202):-South Africa and England each moved one step closer to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 semi-finals with impressive wins in Canberra.
The Proteas enjoyed a record-breaking afternoon at the Manuka Oval as Lizelle Lee’s 101 helped them to 195 for three, the highest score in the competition.
They eventually downed Thailand by 113 runs to head top of Group B with two wins from two, joined by England on four points after their second victory later in the day.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver were both in the runs while Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone spun the 2009 champions to a 42-run win over Pakistan.
Lizelle Lee’s outstanding century led South Africa to the record books with the highest score in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup history in victory over Thailand.
The opener struck 101 from just 60 balls in Canberra, a knock which, combined with Sune Luus’ unbeaten 61, helped the Proteas to 195 for three.
Chloe Tryon also blitzed 24 late runs to take the game away from Thailand, who were bowled out for 82 in response to lose by 113 runs in the Group B clash.
Luus completed her all-round excellence to finish with three wickets, as did Shabnim Ismail, while Onnicha Kamchomphu’s 26 was the solitary note of resistance for the debutants.
“Things haven’t gone my way since the New Zealand tour, so it was just good to get some runs on the board and get that confidence back,” said Lee.
“It’s two different things, batting in the nets and out in the middle. I was hitting the ball well out in the nets, it just didn’t come off in the middle. That does make your confidence dip.
“I think every batter needs a little bit of confidence, you can’t go out there not having any. If it’s your day, you have to go out and cash in and I was pleased to do that for the team."
Thailand captain Sornnarin Toppoch added: “We were disappointed with that performance. We didn’t bowl well, we didn’t field well and particularly we didn’t bat well.
“We’re a bit flustered when Lizelle came at us, so we never had a chance to find our lines and lengths. We’ve got to find a way of correcting that moving forward into the next games.
“It’s different facing it in practice and moving into a real-life situation.
“Teams are going to come at us hard at this level, we’ve got to step up in this respect, improve our fielding and be a bit more tidy when we’re in the field.”
Shrubsole takes 100th wicket while spinners deliver
England made it two wins from three in Group B as spinners Sarah Glenn (three for 15) and Sophie Ecclestone (two for 12) combined to great effect in victory over Pakistan.
Chasing 159, Pakistan were always behind the rate, even before the two tweakers went for a combined 27 runs in their eight overs, taking five wickets on the way.
Anya Shrubsole also delivered with three scalps, the last seeing her dismiss Diana Baig caught and bowled to become the third woman to reach 100 T20I wickets.
Heather Knight (62) and Nat Sciver (36) once again delivered with the bat but England’s opening pair of Amy Jones and Danni Wyatt are both still to fire in the tournament.
“It’s been great to have Sophie with me, she’s a similar age but has some more experience in the team,” said Glenn.
“If I’m ever nervous or unsure about anything, she’s always there to talk it through on and off the field. She’s a key asset to the team.
“We’re really positive as a group. It was gutting to lose against South Africa but we’re feeling really good and have plenty of momentum now.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Canberra, especially Heather, who’s had a brilliant time. We’ve got a lot of good memories to take into Sydney.”
Pakistan’s Aliya Riaz added: “We made mistakes in the field and dropped some catches. That’s the difference between us and England.
“We believed at the halfway stage when Javeria started well, we built some partnerships and I tried to do my best at the end. I tried to hit the ball as hard as possible.
“Some catches dropped is the responsibility of the fielders. These are our mistakes.
“We need to build more partnerships and make fewer mistakes in fielding and bowling.”
Scores in brief
South Africa beat Thailand by 113 runs, Manuka Oval, Canberra
South Africa 195-3, 20 overs (Lizelle Lee 101, Sune Luus 61 not out; Ratanporn Padunglerd 1-19)
Thailand 82 all out, 19.1 overs (Onnicha Kamchomphu 26; Shabnim Ismail 3-8, Sune Luus 3-15)
England beat Pakistan by 42 runs, Manuka Oval, Canberra
England 158-7, 20 overs (Heather Knight 62, Nat Sciver 36; Aiman Anwar 3-30)
Pakistan 116 all out, 19.4 overs (Aliya Riaz 41; Sarah Glenn 3-15, Anya Shrubsole 3-25)
