Sophia Dunkley stroked a maiden ODI hundred and Tammy Beaumont, Emma Lamb and Natalie Sciver registered fifties to set up England women’s 114-run win in the second ODI against South Africa in Bristol on July 15.
The standout performer in an all-round win was Dunkley, who registered a maiden ODI hundred to power the hosts to 337/5 after Heather Knight opted to bat. The foundation was laid with a 127-run opening stand from just 21.2 overs between Beaumont (58 off 81) and Lamb (67 off 65). Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Chloe Tryon removed them both within six overs before Dunkley and Sciver added another 142 in mere 17 overs to take the hosts closer to the 200-run mark.
Dunkley, promoted to No. 3, struck eight fours and two sixes during her 93-ball 107, while the second-ranked ODI batter Sciver smashed a quickfire 63 off 47, featuring five hits to the fence and one over it. Tryon (2/34), Nadine de Klerk (2/65) and Shabnim Ismail (1/64) were the only wicket-takers for South Africa, with each of their bowlers barring Tryon going for over 6 rpo.
South Africa’s 338-run chase had a promising start, with Laura Wolvaardt and Andrie Steyn adding 87 in just 14.2 overs, with the former stringing 10 fours in a sublime 48-ball 58. Both fell in quick succession to Charlotte Dean’s off-breaks, who would return 4/53 from her 10-over spell – the third four-fer of her career – to dent the innings completely.
Marizanne Kapp struck 73 off 59 with 10 fours and a six, but her heroics only delayed the result without threatening to alter it, with the tourists losing wickets regularly from the other end. Right-arm quick Issy Wong bagged 3/36 on debut, while Sophie Ecclestone, the top-ranked bowler in women’s ODIs as well as T20Is, returned 2/37 in an innings that folded out for 223 in 41 overs. Dunkley was named the Player of the Match.
England had taken the series opener by five wickets in Northampton on July 11, with Lamb scoring a hundred in a 219-run chase. The lone Test in Taunton that preceded the ongoing series had ended in a draw. The third and final ODI will be played at Grace Road, Leicester, on July 18, before the three-match T20I series gets underway in Chelmsford on July 21.
Meanwhile, both England and South Africa have also named their squads for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. The cricket in Commonwealth Games, featuring eight women’s teams – Australia, England, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Barbados – will commence on July 28, and the gold and bronze medal will be played on August 7.
Brief Scores
England women 334/5 in 50 overs (Dunkley 107, Lamb 67; Tryon 2-34, de Klerk 2-65) beat South Africa women 223 all-out in 41 overs (Kapp 73, Wolvaardt 55; Dean 4-53, Wong 3-36) by 114 runs
