England Dominate with New-Ball Surge as South Africa Collapse

Wolvaardt, Luus, and Kapp shine with fifties but fail to convert. Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, and Sune Luus all notched up half-centuries, but none could push on to three figures as England took charge of the one-off Test in Bloemfontein. While Lauren Bell’s career-best figures of 4 for 49, including the first and second-last wickets […]

While Lauren Bell’s career-best figures of 4 for 49, including the first and second-last wickets of the innings, grabbed the headlines, England’s seam attack was collectively outstanding. Captain Heather Knight deployed her bowlers effectively, with Lauren Filer maintaining a high pace in short, sharp spells, debutant Ryana MacDonald-Gay making key breakthroughs with the old ball, and Nat Sciver-Brunt showing her usual discipline. Despite promising starts, South Africa’s batters struggled to capitalize, as the England seamers restricted them from building significant partnerships.

Browse more current blogs at IPLbookmakers.

Key Partnerships Shine, But South Africa Struggles in the Middle

Wolvaardt and Dercksen build partnerships, but South Africa falter in the middle

Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen combined for a solid 92-run stand for the second wicket, while Marizanne Kapp and Sune Luus set a South African record with a 99-run partnership for the fourth. However, beyond these key partnerships, South Africa struggled to build momentum, with no other stand exceeding 25 runs. They lost 7 wickets for just 44 runs in 14.4 overs, undoing the good work from the first day, when they had restricted England to 7 for 118 and ended the day with all ten wickets in hand.

England struck early on the second day, with Anneke Bosch edging a Lauren Bell delivery on the fifth stump through to Amy Jones in the second over. Dercksen, promoted to No. 3 after debuting at No. 8 earlier in the year against India, faced a barrage of short deliveries from Lauren Filer, who was bowling with good pace. The fourth ball struck Dercksen on the side of her helmet as she attempted to avoid it, and she was checked for concussion. After being cleared, she responded with a solid drive off Bell through the covers, and when Filer bowled a similar length, Dercksen repeated the shot. Wolvaardt also got in on the act, guiding the ball to bring up South Africa’s fifty in the 14th over.

Dercksen and Wolvaardt Show Resilience, But England Strike Back

Nat Sciver-Brunt replaced Filer after her seven-over spell, allowing Dercksen a brief moment of relief. She capitalized on this by executing two strong bottom-handed drives. However, her comfort was short-lived as Sciver-Brunt found her edge in the next over, but the ball sailed wide of the slips. Sophie Ecclestone then took over at the other end.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Ryana MacDonald-Gay got her first opportunity with the ball and began with promising pace and swing into the right-handers. In her fifth over, she squared up Dercksen, leading to a streaky boundary. Wolvaardt, on the other hand, looked more composed, pulling MacDonald-Gay through square leg to bring up the fifty-run partnership. She then took her first runs off Ecclestone, whipping her through midwicket. Wolvaardt reached her half-century off 99 balls, marking her second consecutive fifty-plus score in Tests.

With just 15 minutes before the lunch break, Filer was reintroduced for a short spell and continued to trouble Dercksen. She top-edged the third ball to fine leg on 33, but Lauren Bell failed to grab the chance. Three overs later, Filer generated the same steep bounce, and Dercksen, attempting to cut, top-edged once again. This time, Heather Knight at second slip jumped to take the catch but parried it to Ecclestone, who held onto the rebound. South Africa went into lunch at 113 for 2, having scored 96 runs in the morning session and trailing by 282 runs.

After the break, Luus joined Wolvaardt at the crease, playing cautiously. It wasn’t until MacDonald-Gay and Filer bowled short that both Wolvaardt and Luus took them on. However, England quickly adjusted their lengths, drying up the runs. South Africa managed only 25 runs off 50 balls in the second session. Wolvaardt’s resistance ended when she was struck on the pads by Ecclestone, who successfully appealed for lbw, sending Wolvaardt back for 57.

South Africa’s Resilience Falters as Kapp Falls, Weather Interrupts Play

Wolvaardt immediately indicated that she had hit the ball, but with no DRS available, she was unable to review the decision. This was the second instance in the match where South Africa could have benefited from a referral. On day one, Kapp was convinced she had Tammy Beaumont out lbw off the second ball of the match, but the umpire ruled not out. Both decisions were made by umpire Kerrin Klaaste.

Kapp quickly put that behind her and, alongside Luus, adopted a more aggressive approach. She drove Lauren Bell through the covers and past point, flicked Sophie Ecclestone fine, and pulled Charlie Dean through midwicket. As Kapp found boundaries, Luus gained confidence and began to play more freely. The pair brought up the South African 200 and took on the spinners. Kapp then blunted Filer’s attack before tea, and they ended the session with 112 runs scored for the loss of just one wicket.

The evening session began with the floodlights blazing under ominous storm clouds. The atmosphere was tense, and it proved foreboding for Kapp, who was dismissed by a superb delivery from MacDonald-Gay. The ball held its line, beat the drive, and clipped the top of off stump. Just five balls later, a lightning strike forced the players off the field for 45 minutes, with the new ball only six overs away.

England Clinch Control as South Africa’s Tail Collapses, Lead Grows to 145

England made another breakthrough with the old ball when MacDonald-Gay’s disciplined approach paid off, dismissing Nadine de Klerk for a duck, caught behind. South Africa were 237 for 5, still eight runs short of the follow-on target of 245. Chloe Tryon quickly took them past that mark with two consecutive boundaries off MacDonald-Gay. England immediately took the second new ball as soon as it was available.

Filer took the new ball and began with her usual short-ball tactics but quickly adjusted to a fuller length. The first ball of her second over moved off the seam, and Luus, trying to drive, nicked off. Tryon hit four boundaries before chipping a delivery from Bell to Beaumont at mid-on in what was a soft dismissal. The tail couldn’t offer much resistance; Bell bowled Jafta and Mlaba in successive balls—Jafta not moving her feet and Mlaba backing away—and Sciver-Brunt took a wicket when Ayanda Hlubi was dismissed lbw.

Wolvaardt, looking to make the most of the remaining 14 overs, used five bowlers. Kapp and Hlubi opened the bowling, beating the bat several times in the opening exchanges, starting with three consecutive maidens. Hlubi then produced a stunning delivery in her third over, which moved off the seam to take the outside edge of Bouchier’s bat. Bouchier became the second woman in Test cricket history to score both a century and a duck in the same match, after Jan Brittin. Beaumont and Knight safely saw out the day, growing England’s lead to 145 runs.