BRISTOL: England booked its place for the Women`s World Cup after defeating South Africa by two wickets in a tensed finish. Team England chased 219 runs in 49.4 overs.
English player Sara player received man of the match award for her innings of 54 runs off 76 runs. ” “It wasn’t the most enjoyable experience [to watch the closing stages from the dressing room], but we were out there and we knew we could still get through. What a great shot from Anya at the end, and great work from Jenny and Fran. They [South Africa] played so well, and to lose from that situation is heartbreaking. We’ve known that feeling before. The support we’ve had has been fantastic, and we just want to say thank you as a team. To get through to the final is amazing, and we couldn’t be prouder of each other,” she said in a post match interview.
Mignon du Preez scored 76 as South Africa set England a target of 219 to win their ICC Women´s World Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk had won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening semi-final.
Meanwhile, Australia will play India in the second semi-final on Thursday.
England can book a place in the Women´s World Cup final if they beat South Africa as they go in search of a first major trophy in eight years.
The pair meet in the first semi-final at Bristol, a ground on which they played out a record-breaking encounter earlier in this tournament.
Both sides surpassed the 300 mark on that occasion, going on to make 678 runs in total, the highest cumulative score in women´s one-day international history.
Opener Tammy Beaumont top-scored with 148 and will once again be the key threat for England.
Beaumont and Sarah Taylor (147) shared a 275-run stand in a match where England beat the Proteas by 68 runs. But it was captain Heather Knight who led from the front with a valuable 62 as England defeated the West Indies at Bristol last Saturday to finish top of the group table, having won six straight games since a surprise opening loss to India.
“The best part about our squad is that someone steps up every single game,” said Beaumont.
“Heather had a crucial knock with the bat and then everyone did their bit with the ball and that´s really important. “We all need to be on form heading into a semi-final.”
Their latest victory meant England could stay put to enjoy two full days of preparation in southwest city Bristol ahead of playing again in front of the loudest home support they´ve experienced during the World Cup.
They will, however, have to once again overcome new-ball duo Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, described as the “best opening pair in the world” by South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk.
