Women’s World Cup: England HAMMER South Africa in opener

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Here comes Kaka and that's clipped away into the onside. They run the single. Actually they shouldn't run it, but they're going to because they could have done with the extra four. The ball does run to the boundary, but they've crossed and England have won by 10 wickets with 35.5 overs to spare. An absolutely thumping victory. A match that didn't even last in total 35 overs after England bundled South Africa out for just 69.

Well, England have absolutely thrashed South Africa. The perfect start to their tournament, bowling out their opponents for just 69 before then chasing down their target of 70 with over four. 40, forgive me, 35 overs remaining. 14.1 overs, that's all it took. I can scarcely believe it. Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones ensuring England didn't lose a wicket in that time as well. Absolutely outstanding from England. Three wickets for Lindsay Smith, who is player of the match. We'll be hearing from her over the course of the next half an hour or so. Also, wickets shoot shared between the rest of the bowling unit as well. Sophie Eccleston, Charlie Dean, Nat Silverbrunt the captain, each with two wickets. Lauren Bell with one wicket. South Africa was so poor with the bat, just one player, Sonala Jafta making it to double figures. Well, let's hear from Lindsay Smith. What a performance for her. She was absolutely outstanding in taking three for seven as she's been speaking to BBC Sports.

Fionwin Lindsay, congratulations on team performance and individually couldn't have gone much better for you in terms of Style starting a World Cup.

Yeah, delighted. Obviously one, opening the bowling and setting the tone, I guess for the girls and then two, obviously just to get a massive win in the first game is a massive confidence boost for us and delighted with it.

Not sure if you know this one. You're the first person in ODI to get the three wickets of Laura Woolfoat, Tasman, Brits and Marisanka. It's a nice three to have.

Yeah, definitely. I think, you know, the preparation that we had coming into this game, we knew how strong they were and as a batting unit, yeah, the danger that they possess. So yeah, very happy to get those three.

And what's your secret to bowling in the power play? It's something you do very often in 20 over cricket. Bring that into 50 over game. What's your plan?

I think especially in the power plays, just try and put as much pressure on the batters as I can. I think my consistency over the years is what's helped me and I knew coming into this World cup that opening the bowling could be an option for me in my role because, you know, I'm not the most traditional spinner with the turn and bounce, but I think, yeah, for me just trying to attack the stumps as much as possible and not really give the batter any freebies.

In terms of you in your first 50 of the world cup, your journey here, obviously as mentioned, didn't make your ODI debut that much longer ago, but being a bit more experienced in your own game, knowing your own game, think it's going to serve you well going into the rest of the tournament now.

Yeah, I hope so. Like you say, obviously still very early on in my ODI career, but yeah, got some great spinners around me as well and yeah, a great bunch of girls who are, you know, we're having really good conversations and trying to push each other on which is, you know, can only be a good thing for this squad going forward. So yeah, definitely lots of learning to do still, but delighted with how it's gone so far.

And with a spin heavy attack, as you mentioned, the conditions out there, you know, is that what you expected today?

Yeah, I think so. Nothing too crazy that we, we didn't think, you know, obviously we won the toss and had a bowl first, thinking that pitch would get better under lights for our batting. So. But yeah, obviously that's a bit of a dream start for us to be honest to. I think every bowler who came on had an impact and took wickets. So yeah, for us we're delighted with that.

It looked like a tricky Pitch, you'd say, but probably not a 70 all out kind of wicket.

Probably not, no. But I think again, credit to our bowlers, I think, you know, the stats that we had, I think the pressure that we put on them with hitting the stumps, especially early on, really put the pressure on them. And yeah, I think like I said, every bowler had an impact. So for us as a unit, really exciting things.

What's it like with the humidity out there?

Yeah, it's pretty hot today, actually. I didn't realise. Not really been out of the hotel much here, but yeah, obviously very hot, but nice to not have to fill 50 overs.

Nat said yesterday that the team morale and kind of attitude is chalk and cheese from the start of this year. I know you're in and around those squads as well, but is that something that obviously this win is certainly going to help getting off to a great start. Is that something that you've noticed around the camp, how different things are different?

Yeah, I think it's just very refreshing. Obviously today's win is obviously massive for that as well. But yeah, like Nat said, obviously we know what's happened and we know how hard it's been for us over the last 12, 18 months and you know, we're not going to keep dwelling on that. We know we didn't put in the performances or do ourselves justice as such, but yeah, for us it's about learning from those and putting those things back into games and actually putting some real performances in which, yeah, I guess today we couldn't be happier with.

Well, we'll hear from the two captains as well during the next little while, alongside me still, Daniel Norcross and Alex Hartley, World cup winner with England in 2017. And reflecting on what was as good a performance for England in a tournament opener as you could wish to see, having lost their opening match in the last three editions of the 50 over World cup, well, it could not be further away from that than what we saw today. England winning the toss, bowling first and Natsuva Bruntus captain for the first time over 50 overside in the World Cup. It just was absolutely everything she could have wished for. Alex, a day of dreams, delight and delirium for England.

Well, yeah, of course, of course. I mean, it's the perfect start to the World cup campaign, isn't it? And I know there's been a lot of talk on this England side because of the Ashes and this, this side of in particular have decided to move, obviously move on from that and forget about the past. They'll have learned A lot of lessons from Australia, don't get me wrong. But things couldn't have started better for England to, I guess, start to rewrite everything that's been said about them.

Yeah, I think that's the thing, isn't it? It's coming into a tournament playing down expectation, as Charlotte Edwards has been quite keen to do, Daniel. But also, I have noticed there has been a steeliness about England and what she will demand is ruthlessness. And we saw that today. To win by 10 wickets, bowl your opponents out for 69. It's absolutely everything you could wish for.

It's everything they could wish for. And more than that, you know, we've watched them a lot lately, and in tournaments, there's been this kind of idea that they are out there to entertain and they're out there to inspire and they're out there to have fun. And the single most important thing that they're out there to do is win games of cricket. You know, we've noticed that sometimes, perhaps it's felt like their heads haven't been in the tournament. We were down in Sharjah and Dubai, and England ended up playing most of their games in Sharjah, didn't they? And then they played in Dubai and they looked like they hadn't really got a plan for Dubai. You know, they've been playing on these slow, low wickets in Sharjah and. And they didn't really sort of adapt when they went somewhere different. Well, what impressed me most was that whether it's the coaches along with the captain or whoever it is in that setup, has taken a look at the first game that's taken place here, and they've gone right, well, we don't need more than one seamer. We're gonna pack it with spinners. We're gonna open with Lindsay Smith. If we win the toss and bowl, we're gonna absolutely suffocate and we're gonna bowl straight. And, you know, they were great in the field. They were disciplined. They didn't have a lot of catches to take, to be honest, because it kept on hitting the stumps. But they had a game plan and it looked like their heads were in the tournament. And that's actually the thing that's impressed me most.

Someone at the toss read it wrong, didn't they? South Africa. Sorry? Bowling or having four seamers into their attack? In England having one. It's proven that, yes, England played well, and Lindsay Smith set the tone. She got rid of the big three very, very early on. But actually, I think when you look at the surface and how it's played. If you bowl at the stumps, it's incredibly hard to play. And England nailed it.

It was stoppy, wasn't it? And it was. It was awkward. It was tricky. You know, England were trying to win that game in 7, 8, 9 overs if they could. And they couldn't actually, because it was really hard to get it away. So that told you that this was a tricky pitch and it was a pitch for spitters for South Africa. I mean, their ports were so poor and wasn't up to it with the bat that I don't think one change of personnel would have made a difference. But they ought to have played an extra batter in Dirksen. They ought to have left out one of their seamens. They didn't need cap class and Kaka, they just didn't. They had enough spin options there with. With try on and with Malaba and they needed to go harder on that. And they. And they look. I mean, they're batting. We were saying, what is soon Elise doing at 3? What is Marisank doing at 4? What is Jafta doing at 6? A woman whose highest score is 28. That was only her fifth 20 plus score. It looked to me like they weren't in the competition, hadn't read the conditions.

And England had the worst thing for South Africa, seamers. Now they're all out in the middle and they're having to bowl. They're having to bow their 10 overs because this competition is a long one. It goes on for a long time and you got to keep your workloads up. So Maran Cap and everyone else, they're bowling out in the middle.

Now you spoke about bowling at the stumps and it sounds such an obvious thing, But England bow 38 balls that would have gone on or did hit the stumps today. Six wickets were taken in that time with four runs conceded. It was a clear plan. It was incredibly effective.

I feel like it's going to be one of those World Cups. I can't lie with the. The rain around in Columbo as well. You want to keep the stumps in play. Here in Hearty, it's proven that you want to keep the stumps in play, but let's hear from the captains.

Here's Casado with Laura Wolfard of South.

I know not a lot of time to reflect on it, but how do you reflect on today's encounter?

Yeah, definitely not the way that we would have to start the tournament. Not our best work with the bat, but in saying that I don't think we've become a bad batting unit overnight. I think this team has shown a lot of resilience in the past. So still a long tournament ahead of us and we'll be looking to put this behind us as quick because if we can and move on to the next game.

You have been improving as a batting unit, playing spin. When you look out there today, what do you think you could have done differently against the Singland attack?

Yeah, obviously they bowled really well with the new ball. I think Lindsay Smith was excellent with the new ball. We probably didn't expect that much swing or didn't play for that much swing. We probably could have played straight lines. Yeah, probably a bit pushy at the ball as well. I think that it come later, be a bit more calm, hit it up the ground, get ourselves in a bit better.

We didn't see a bonga kaka until very late in the piece. Is she okay or was that just something tactical?

No, she's all right. We just found that she could be very effective for us this tournament in the, in the middle. So we just wanted to try that a bit today, get the spin on early, see if that worked.

It's a tournament where there's no easy games and they come thick and fast. You've got New Zealand and India to come. What is the message to your team?

I think just to keep trusting that what we've done is, is good in the past. I think we've had really good preparation. I think we're, we're really well informed, have a really good coaching staff as well. So putting this game behind us, moving forward as fast as we can. I think in a tournament like this you got to have a, a short memory on games like this and come out with a lot of good intent in the next game.

Hard luck today. All the best for the next one.

Thank you.

The South African captain, Laura Wolfart. Winning captain now, Nat Silverbridge. Congratulations. Big smile on your face and why not? An emphatic start to this tournament for your team. How pleased were you?

Yeah, massively pleased. It just seemed like everyone was really on it in the field. Obviously we had a few first ball wickets as well, so yeah, it's a captain's dream.

You've got two batters like Brits and Wolfart, they've been dominating world cricket. But someone like Lindsay Smith, pretty early in her ODI career. What do you think? She did so well in those first few overs?

She just stuck to her strengths. I think obviously she's a left arm spinner, but can swing the ball. So yeah, I guess we knew she was a really good matchup to those two batters who obviously have scored a lot of runs like you say, in the lead up to this tournament. So yeah, we knew that was an important partnership to break.

You've got great resources on your team. You seem to have all bases covered but particularly in these conditions, to have a spin attack like that, it's a captain's dream, isn't it?

Yeah, absolutely. And Sarah Glenn's on the bench as well.

Exactly.

So, yeah, we're really blessed that we've got so many talented cricketers in our squad and yeah, it's obviously making selection very difficult.

Well, congratulations today and play well in the next game.

Thank you.

That's the thought of the two captains there with Natsuva Brunt finishing off the chat and the presentation alongside Cass Nadu. Before that we heard from Laura Wolfhard and one phrase, a little focus there from that sivabrant really caught my attention there, Daniel. And that was we're really focused in the field. We looked on it in the field. I think they did. I think they looked really good in the field.

Field. Well, I'll give you a great example of it. There was early on there was a really terrific piece of fielding from Alice Capsie down at long on. She had quite a lot of ground to make to her left. The ball was lofted down to her. She ran in the intention of taking the cat. She couldn't get there. She realized she couldn't get there. That wasn't any fault of her fitness or her speed or anything like that. It was just, you know, the catch was non. But she dived forward and she stopped what would have been a certain four. And that wasn't evident on other occasions for England and that was not an isolated incident. I can't think really of a ball going through many legs. I can't think of a drop catch. Felt that they were speedier in the outfield when they were fielding and actually I saw some twos being run when they batted. There was. There was focus and there was more of what we want to see. Hustle, bustle.

What have you spotted out there?

Or just the. Just both teams running. They finished the game. Obviously it's gone a lot shorter than it should have done. It should have finished in five hours time. It hasn't done. But you can see the South African girls, even a few of them that have played and the England girls, the ones that have played, doing the running. And that's purely for the fact that you have to stay fit out here. You've got to stay acclimatized and running in the humid and the humidity. Sorry. And the heat is going to put them in good stead moving further on in this competition when it gets down to the nitty gritty.

Yeah, I think that's a really good point.

And they've played a game here now the next game's against Bangladesh. You know, England have got quite a nice way into the tournament.

South Africa's is not exactly.

It's the complete opposite. So South Africa have got two games coming up that are going to be really vital and the most pivotal one probably against New Zealand. If they lose against New Zealand, they will have to beat one of Australia or India. You would think, you're pretty much certain that because their net run rate has been obliterated here. Phil Longsters pointed out to me England's net run rate and There were only one game in this 3.77. Australia got a very, very strong win the other day by over 90 runs and there's his 1.78. So the problem for South Africa now is that not only will they, they have, they've got to beat New Zealand.

You feel, well, they've got minus a point, haven't they?

Yeah, in theory they have. So they look and they, they might get lucky because other sides around them might have games rained off potentially. You know, Finland have a rained off.

Game against Bangladesh, which is looking quite likely given the forecast.

The forecast is not great. But for England, if England had lost this game and then had a rained off game against Bangladesh, well then they would have been in serious trouble. Then they would probably have had to beat one of India or Australia in the group phase to get through. Not even beating New Zealand might, might have been enough. So, you know, this is an enormous result for them and it gives them that little bit of a cushion if something does go wrong against Bangladesh. England play three, the three least fancied sides, albeit two of them in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. And Sri Lanka will be playing most of their games in Sri Lanka, so they'll know the conditions a bit better. But England will expect to beat those three teams if they do. If they can get in the park and beat those three teams, they'll have four wins in the bank before they play New Zealand, then India, then Australia. And those four wins might be enough. And the net run rate they've got here, the net run rate boost they've got here could basically have done them before they play those, those three bigger teams and they look, they're gonna, they're gonna pack themselves to beat New Zealand. I mean, they've beaten New Zealand routinely in one day international. So it's, it's hard really to over emphasize what a massive win that is. It could not have been more perfect.

Yep, I agree with that. And what I would also focus on is, is what Lindsay Smith has done in this game and, and the significance of that as well. No player has got out the wickets. The big three wickets of, of Wolfhart, Brits and Marizan Kappen and ODI before. And she did that today and she, she broke open the game and pretty much wanted early doors for England. Laura Wolfhard Courtenbold for five, Tasman Brits bowled for five. Marisankapp Bold for four. And Smith was outstanding.

Alex, she was, she just kept things simple. And I think for Lindsay Smith, it's much bigger than playing well today. You know, there's a bigger story. She never thought she'd play cricket for England again, or never thought she'd play cricket again. You know, she's had a bit of a torrid time of it. Her debut didn't go too well, her T20 debut. And then she found herself in and out of form. You know, domestic form wasn't great and it's so lovely to see her back in the side, but back playing with a smile on her face and, you know, I, I couldn't be happier for her. But the fact that she stuck to her strengths, she's an asset to England. She really is. I think she's one of the best bowlers in the power play in the world, but not only with the ball, but she's so good in the field as well.

I think she's, she's a lottie pick, you know. Charlotte Edwards, I think, has got a lot of time for Lindsay Smith. And when we talk about the side being Jork and Cheese, actually the personnel are not massively different, but Lindsay Smith is one. Amy Jones opening with Tammy Beaumont. That is a difference. And these are the. I know these are really small tweaks, but when you're trying to look at what the difference is between the England team we've traipsed around watching for the last four or five years, and this specific one, well, one of the ones I've already touched on is that they look like they've got their heads in the tournament. They look like they're focused on what it is they want to achieve and how their game is going to adapt to different services. Another one is how they fielding and how they run between the wickets and then you get these other, just little nuance bits and it's, you know, Lindsay Smith playing and being dynamic in the field and opening the bowling. I mean, that is a master stroke here, isn't it? They, they could have picked Lauren Filer. They could have picked him. Arlett.

Well, they could have opened when that's of a brunt.

They could have opened when that's a run. Exactly. But you know, you, you, you explained to us Al, Lindsay's not a left arm spinner like Ecclestone. She does, you know, the ball sometimes slides off her fingers. It almost swings into the right arm.

She's an in swing bowler is Lindsay Smith, especially with the new ball. And she can spin it and she will spin the occasional few, but she's got a really low arm. So the trajectory of the ball is constantly following the right hander. So naturally she starts a little bit wider and swings the ball into the pad. And we saw on a couple of occasions today, South Africans leaning forward and the ball going inside the edge of. So actually with somebody like Lindsay Smith, the inside edge is the threat, not the outside edge of the bat.

Because they were playing for the expected turn of the left arm spin.

No, I just think she's getting that much movement through the air. She gets way more drift than anybody else in this competition. And if you're getting the ball to go between bat and pad, then it's a dream. As a left arm spin, obviously you want the one that pitches on leg stump and turns and hits the top of off. But actually for somebody like Lindsay Smith, if she can constantly get the batters on the front pad and get them going, oh my word, that's going a little bit more than I thought it would. She's an incredibly tough bowler to face when she's in that groove and she's in that mood. Because you can't sweep her either. Because if you do go and sweeper, she's skitty. She skids the ball on and she'll challenge a front pad for lpw.

Yeah, I mean, there's so many elements that England attack that go beyond perhaps the raw data of its two left arm spinners. It's very different.

So different. Yeah, so different. And every single left arm spinner around the world is different, you know, I mean, but me and Ecclestone in a way were similar, more similar than Eccleston and Smith. And I think that's why they complement each other so well and why both of them can have a future playing for England together.

It's why they're not really two left arm spinners in a way. You know, you've got to, you've got to treat them as two completely different bowlers. And it means that England's bowling attack therefore has two very different left arm angles than with Charlie Dean who is, I mean she's just, whatever you think about what it is that she's doing, she's taking wickets at an incredible rate. The fastest of 50, averaging something ridiculous like 22, 23. And so you there, you've got those three spinners. Alice Capsi wasn't even required today. She will be later on in the tournament to have Nat Silver Brunt get three overs under a belt. And no, it's not a lot but she picked up a couple of wickets. Lauren Bell looked fine, she was getting good pace, 7172 at various points. Got a peach of a ball to get rid of Suni Lease and keep that pressure on. Early on when a couple of early wickets had fallen. It, it's, it's really hard to think about, you know, what, did anything go even slightly wrong today? They're never going to play a game like that again.

Nothing, nothing went wrong for England today. Everything was in England's favor. There's one thing that everybody needs to do is stay grounded and not get ahead of ourselves or where England are at or you know, it's very easy to go and say, right, they're going to win the World cup if they're playing like that. Reality is they're not going to play like that for the rest of the tournament. Obviously enjoy the moment, enjoy the game and the day because you don't have very many games like that in an international shirt. But you know, England, yes, they've got an easier run of games but the back end of the tournament for England is a tough one.

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What.

I would say is in the same way that the Women's Ashes last winter when it started badly, it was very hard to stop the momentum. Momentum can work in other ways as well. If you get a good start and get confident and feel like you Know what you're doing. And everything seems to be working. It can, it can create quite a, an unstoppable force for a side.

Absolutely. And England have beaten India and Australia in both their warm up games and New Zealand twice, three times when they were out in Abu Dhabi. So they're taking a lot of confidence into this competition, there's no doubt about it. You know, they've got new captain, new coach, new personnel and they look like a team that's a lot more focused. There's not once in Australia did I see anybody doing a running session after a game.

No, I'm with you there. And some of those finished pretty quickly.

I might have missed, I might have missed it, don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty sure we podcasted after every game.

We did indeed. What about South Africa then? Daniel? We spoke a lot about this opening partnership. No duo had scored more at the top of the order in women's ODIs since the start of 2023 than Wolfhardt and Brits, but they made five apiece. And as soon as they were out, it felt as though there was very little wriggle room for South Africa going to find the runs they'd need.

Yeah, well, I mean, I'm in agreement with Laura Wolfhard when she says you don't become a bad side overnight. They've got very good, they've got a very good team, let's be honest. They got the form opening pairing. I don't like the fact that Sunil lease is at 3, Amarasan cap is at 4. I think they need a number 3. I don't know who that might be. It might be Anna Dirksen who I, I think desperately needed to play. I think you also, you put these games to bed because you, you don't get bowled out for 69. That just doesn't happen. And, and look, some, everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. The little chips went to the fielders twice. You think of the try on one, she got the leading edge. It could easily have looped over Capsi. It did.

But then that said, there were a.

Few that did loop over, so. Yeah, yeah, there were a few. But you know, they felt we see this time and time again in cricket when you get on a, on a roll early on, you lose a couple of quick wickets and then a third goes and that third can create a collapse and then it's devilishly difficult to get it back. I would say that they've got a couple of structural problems in their side. Their bottom three was called out to bat way too early and they are inept. They are 9, 10, 11, cannot bat. Sonala Jafta is batting way, way too high at 6. I mean, she is. She batted well today. She got 20 odd 10 for England. Yeah. I mean, I could see her at number eight for South Africa and that would be fine. Chloe Tryon has not been in terrific form and she was asked about within the power play. She's not the sort of player who's going to be able to do that. So I think they're missing a batter. I thought they got their game plan wrong. They didn't read the pitch right. They'll learn from that their next game. It's not here, is it? I don't think so. They will go somewhere else. They're going to indoor next, which I think will suit them. From what we saw of the pitch at indoor, there's a few more runs in that and that and their game is built, isn't it? Wouldn't you say? On some crunching batters.

Yeah. But I also want to point out that, yes, we. I know. I got really excited. Brits has had three centuries in a row and nearly, you know, if you've got another one today, Amy Satterthwaite is the only person that's had four. But I want to point out who those hundreds were against. You know, they're not playing against the top teams. They're not playing against England, Australia and India. They're playing against the West Indies, who haven't even qualified for this tournament and Pakistan, who one of the poorest teams have just lost to Bangladesh.

And we saw West Indies in England and they were pretty wful.

Yeah. So you know Laura Wolfhart saying they don't become a bad team overnight. She's right. They absolutely don't. They're not a bad team. But we also have to be realistic on that. They are. When we come into this World cup, it's Australia, India, England, New Zealand, South Africa.

I think it's going to be between those five for the four spots and the semifinals.

But you think. You think South Africa are the weakest of those five?

I think they're the least. Least consistent. It doesn't mean to say I don't think they'll win games. I just think they are the least consistent.

Their game against New Zealand is absolutely enormous. If they. That was a crazy thing to say, but it is so early in the competition. If they were to lose to New Zealand, they are so up against it then because they cannot afford to lose to both Australia and India. And beating India in their own backyard is going to be really difficult. And hey, guess what? Australia are very, very, very, very good. And if you have to, if you have to get going so quickly after a massive loss like that, she, she, Laura Wolfhardt and the team, they've got to find a way of going well, okay, that didn't happen basically. I think that's, that's sort of like your only option, isn't it, Al?

Yeah, I think when you lose a game like they have done in, in the manner that they have done today, it's so hard to come back from it because of the net run rate. And I, we always talk about net room rate and how in franchise competitions it can often, you know, people. Do people qualify? Do teams qualify? Sorry. Or do they not? But they're almost a point behind everybody now with that minus three England are a point above everybody. England's net room rate in their next game won't be the same unless they have have a blinder again. But that net run rate is gradually going to drop.

I mean, your very best way to improve your net run rate is actually to score for 400 or 3 or 50 and bowl aside out for, for 100 usually. But if you are going to be bowling first, winning a game inside 15 overs does, does do quite wonderful. And, and it also gives them the opportunity to extend that over the course of their next few games when they're playing slightly weaker opposition. It also gives them an incentive when they're playing, let's say they find themselves because they're not going to have plane sailing throughout this, throughout this group phase, if they see themselves potentially at, on the other end of 120 run loss, they might actually back the overs and turn it into an 80 run loss or a 70 run loss, you know, so they've got, what I mean is they got their fate in their hands.

Yeah. The thing for me though with South Africa today and England were way, way better and they blew them away, don't get me wrong. But the amount of soft dismissals they like towards the back end as a tail ender, I'm thinking, all right, I'm going to bat for 30 overs, I'm going to have a net here. And it's like, nah, big old heave across the line, I'm out, bats under me arm, off I go. Yeah, it was, that was the disappointing thing for me.

Well, Jafta just didn't have any faith, did she, in the bowlers at the other end. So having sort of got in and played the Occasional nice shot. She then charged at Sophie Ecclestone, had a big mo, got out and then that stage you have got 10 and 11 in and they are among the weaker 10 and 11s in world cricket. You know, they, I tried to think Bangladesh is 10 and 11. I don't know actually. I mean, I thought, I mean I actually thought that Prabhotany batted quite well for Sri Lanka the other day against India. So do you know what I mean? I mean they are weak down there and so they do rely on their top order batters to do well for them. And I do come back to this point, I think they're one batter light.

Yeah, I agree. I think England went batter safe today by playing the extra batter. Only playing the one seamer and the three spinners. Obviously it's. We. Would it have worked? We don't know. It's worked, it's worked. They've won.

But Alice Capsi has literally had nothing to do.

Yeah.

Apart from pull off a couple of really good.

Thanks for coming. And she feel it really, really nicely. South Africa. I, I think I'm with you, Dan. I think they just got things slightly wrong today.

It is extraordinary so early in a tournament that we are looking at teams, fixtures and thinking, goodness me, what next? How's this going to play out. But given the scale of England's win, it is worth us just having a little look at what they've got to come. And similarly South Africa, because it just gives us a bit of a guide in terms of, of how the next few days and, and things are going to play out. England on Tuesday play against Bangladesh here, then next Saturday against Sri Lanka in Colombo, followed by that match against Pakistan in Colombo. So three matches they'll expect to win given the fact that of course the weather may play a part which could.

Change that and they could easily therefore four be played. 4, 1, 4, top of the table, my net run rate.

And you need five to five wins.

Five to be guaranteed. But actually if you win four, you're very likely to be either fourth or fifth. Yeah, you know that that's going to get you in, in the conversation and that's why we keep on banging on about net run rate. Because if they do finish level on points of the side that's fifth, they put themselves in a very strong position to go ahead of them on, on that run rate.

Meanwhile, South Africa play against New Zealand and then India before matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. So they've got their easier run after two.

So is their last game against Australia as well. As well as England.

Yes.

That's curious, isn't it? Yeah, it's a funny little quirk there. So there you go.

And so it's, it's a crucial couple of matches for them. Their tournament it feels will be decided over the next two matches.

It does actually. I mean look, if they were to lose to New Zealand then lose to India they'd be right up against it. Yeah. Because then you just see them, well they have to beat Australia and it's very hard to get a net run rate boost against. You might be able to beat Australia on your day but you're not going to thrash Australia.

We kept saying at the start of this tournament, oh given the nature of it you can have a slip up and get back from it. That's not a slip up. That is, you know, that is plummeted.

Down enormous hole, haven't they?

Alex, you're on a WhatsApp group with former England players that has been set up. What's been going on there today?

It's been amazing, like literally amazing. First of all it started with obviously a few good looks because Charlotte Edwards is obviously in the group so a few good looks. Then it was, I started off with left arm Spinners Union when Lindsay Smith took a couple of quick wickets and then it, then it went to Enid Bakewell who said well I'm watching Pakistan Bangladesh and we all said what are you doing? Why are you watching yesterday's game? Anyway she's caught up and she said what a win. But it's. Everybody in this group is from anybody who's ever played cricket.

Well that's 84 year old Enid Bakewell. Up to you who won the World.

Cup in 2017 I love and everyone in between people afterwards and it's just the most wholesome, wholesome group and it kind of reminds you that playing for England is, is really special because sometimes you on this side and in particular you can forget about that and you almost, I almost think oh I'm going to nail the team if they don't play well or I'm going to love them if they do play well. And actually I'm part of a very special group and that's reminded me of that and it's, it's been, yeah it's been really wholesome.

Well didn't Enid remind everybody that she's still playing? Yes, you're all still playing.

She did say I hope you're all still playing.

Rydo, Daniel, thank you to you. We're going to get A blast of stats from Phil Long. And our scorer has had a field day, it has to be said, Longy, I mean, goodness me, your, your stationery has been whirring as you've been been looking at the numbers and, and the various records.

Yeah, the numbers just kept on coming, didn't they? They always say a short game's a good game. It is. But there's always a lot going on in that short game. Let me go very quickly through what we've seen today. We saw four wicket maidens bowled by England. They took a wicket with the first ball of the over five times. It was South Africa's lowest total versus England. South Africa's second lowest total in a World Cup. South Africa's shortest innings in terms of balls. Bold. Talked about opening partnerships. South African opening batters scored five and five. England batted and didn't lose a wicket. They put on 73 to win the game. 10 wicket wins. It's a sixth time for England, the first time since 2008. Second time South Africa have lost by 10 wickets. And if we look at World cups, it's a 1410 wicket win in World cup history. England's third, South Africa's second defeat by that margin. The final margin, 215 balls remaining, which means that today's game finished at 5. 53. And as we know, the first game we were here finished at 11:33.

Well, thanks to Phil, Alex and Daniel. That's it for this episode of the TMS podcast. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode, including no balls with Kate Cross and also Alex. And as well as that, they're stumped with Alison Mitchell, who's out in India here at the Women's World Cup. England next in action on Tuesday against Bangladesh here in Guwahati. 10:15 Tuesday morning on BBC Sounds and 5 Sports Extra for that. And you can keep up to date with all things cricket by following bctms on xbccricket, on Instagram and all sorts of other ways besides via the BBC Sport website and app. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll speak to you soon, but it's goodbye for now.

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