England vs South Africa
Sharjah, 6pm local time
England squad: Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt
South Africa squad: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon
Tournament form guide: Both teams are coming off convincing wins in their tournament openers. England were restricted to 118 for 7 by Bangladesh in Sharjah but 16 overs from their four spinners gave them a 21-run win. South Africa had a near-perfect game against West Indies which they won by 10 wickets.
News brief: England’s experience of playing in Sharjah could come in handy but a two-day turnaround time will test their stamina in hot conditions. With the Sharjah pitch typically being slow, the likelihood of England persisting with four spinners – Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Sarah Glenn, and Linsey Smith – is high. Getting good starts will be a challenge for the batters as evidenced by the fact that only three of the nine England batters got to double figures against Bangladesh.
With 19 losses in 24 games, South Africa have a terrible record against England in T20Is but the last of the four wins came in the semi-final of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. They are also coming off a clinical ten-wicket win against West Indies that was set up with the ball by Nonkululeko Mlaba and Marizanne Kapp. The duo took all six wickets to fall with Kapp going at an economy of 3.5. Chloe Tryon and Sune Luus, who bowled six overs in Dubai, are more likely to bowl their complete quotas in more helpful conditions. Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits took them home with unbeaten fifties, so the rest of the batting line-up is still untested. South Africa, like England, are likely to go unchanged.
Player to watch: While the spinners, especially Mlaba, will be in focus, Kapp’s all-round abilities pump up her value. She can swing the new ball and take out key batters, as she did to Hayley Matthews and Hayley Matthews in Dubai. She is versatile with the bat and can play the anchor role or bash it around. Similarly for England, Nat Sciver-Brunt is the allrounder providing the balance. She was the only pacer they used, despite Danielle Gibson’s availability, and bowled her full four overs for the first time in eight games against Bangladesh. A good outing with the bat for her will strengthen England in the rematch of the semi-final from the 2023 edition.
Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
