England face Women’s World Cup exit after South Africa bring up third loss | Women’s Cricket World Cup

A tweet from the injured South African captain, Dane van Niekerk, summed up her side’s World Cup outing against England: “The wife’s tail is up.” She was referring to a fiery Marizanne Kapp, who bagged her first five-wicket haul in 13 years of international cricket before scoring a crucial 32 from 42 balls, as South Africa finally avenged their 2017 semi-final defeat by England with a three-wicket win against the defending champions.

Chasing 236, South Africa had been reduced to 199 for 6 in the 44th over after England’s bowlers made regular inroads; Kapp herself would have been back in the dugout, but for a reprieval on nine courtesy of DRS, with replays showing Sophie Ecclestone’s delivery would have missed leg stump. But Kapp made there, smashing Katherine Brunt for six over backward square leg and running hard with partner Trisha Chetty. She eventually fell LBW to Anya Shrubsole with 10 runs still needed, but though England took it to the final over, Nat Sciver sent down a wide ball and Chetty pulled the winning run through midwicket to finish the job with four balls to spare.

With three straight losses, England can still mathematically qualify for the tournament semi-finals, but even if they win their last four matches they are now reliant on other results to go their way.

“We came into this World Cup to play better than we have, and it’s been frustrating for myself and the coaching staff, and frustrating for the players,” their coach, Lisa Keightley, said after the match. “For some reason we haven’t clicked, and we’re finding it really hard to do so.”

“As the coach, I take a huge amount of responsibility [for the losses]. It’s up to me to drive the team and get the wins on the board. The players are pretty gutted.”

Kapp, by contrast, was jubilant. “The previous World Cup we were extremely disappointed with our performances, especially against England, and we knew this time around that we are good enough that we could do that today,” she said. “This World Cup is what we’ve worked towards. I believe this team is just going to get stronger and better.”

England’s defense was once again married by a series of fluffed chances in the field – the main beneficiary being Laura Wolvaardt, whose 77 was the mainstay of the South African run chase until Kapp got in on the act. The opener was put down by Tammy Beaumont at backward point on four, and again by Kate Cross on 23 in a caught-and-bowled chance that went begging. Amy Jones also missed what should have been a straightforward stumping against her, just after Wolvaardt brought up her half-century.

Wolvaardt made it count, sharing fifty partnerships with Tazmin Brits (23) and Sune Luus (36), driving hard, and along the way becoming South Africa’s leading run-scorer of all-time in World Cups – before finally holing out to midwicket in the 36th over.

Earlier, Kapp’s opening spell of 5-1-15-2, moving the ball around in ways that baffled the England batters, had set the tone. Firstly Danni Wyatt – promoted to the opening spot after England dispensed with Lauren Winfield-Hill – sliced ​​a fuller ball to backward point, where Wolvaardt held on after a juggle. Then Heather Knight was caught halfway between leaving and playing, and got an inside edge onto her own stumps. The freak dismissal of Sciver by Masabata Klaas in the 12th added to England’s woes: she tried to pull, missed, and the ball deflected onto the back of her bat and ballooned up to Lizelle Lee at slip.

Kapp’s slower ball did further damage in the death overs, yielding three quick wickets as Katherine Brunt (17 off 23), Sophia Dunkley (26 off 38) and Kate Cross all miscued catches.

In between times, Tammy Beaumont (62) and Jones (53) had rescued England from 42 for three with a crucial century partnership, and half-centuries apiece, making full use of some loose deliveries from the South African spinners. For Jones, it was a welcome return to form after a difficult Ashes; she drove and pulled beautifully on the way to her first ever World Cup fifty.

The problem was that neither could push on. Beaumont was given a life on 62, dropped behind the stumps by Trisha Chetty, but fell five balls later without adding to that score, trapped LBW by Klaas in the 34th. Jones was dismissed not long after in unfortunate fashion, run out after Dunkley plonked the ball to midwicket and called for the single. The midwicket fielder? None other than Marizanne Kapp. Tail up, indeed.