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Smith dismantles South African top order as England get off to a flyer
ByFfion Wynne
BBC Sport Journalist in Guwahati
England bowled South Africa out for just 69 as they made a winning start to their Women's World Cup campaign with a ruthless 10-wicket thrashing in Guwahati.
Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith was the pick of the bowlers with 3-7, claiming the prized wickets of Laura Wolvaardt, in-form opener Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp.
Sinalo Jafta was the only batter to reach double figures in a dismal batting performance which saw the Proteas bundled out for their third-lowest ODI total in just 20.4 overs.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt took 2-5 in her first competitive bowling spell since the Ashes, while spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean also picked up two wickets apiece.
Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont then cruised to their target in 14.1 overs, having started somewhat cautiously on a tricky surface, finishing with 40 and 21 respectively.
It was a bizarre performance from South Africa on a pitch that offered a little assistance to the spinners, but far from anything extravagant, as they simply had no answers to England's consistency.
Captain Wolvaardt was caught and bowled for five in the second over, Brits and Kapp were bowled for five and four respectively and Sune Luus was cleaned up by Lauren Bell.
Sciver-Brunt trapped Anneke Bosch lbw with her first ball as South Africa stuttered to 38-5 after the 10-over powerplay before Dean and Ecclestone comfortably cleaned up the middle and lower order.
It could prove to be a crucial win for England, giving them a significant net run-rate boost before their second game against Bangladesh on Tuesday when there is the possibility of rain.
Spinners seal England's perfect start
Wolvaardt caught and bowled by Smith for five
After the Ashes demolition at the start of the year and series defeats against India in the summer, England needed a strong start to their first major challenge under the leadership of Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards.
They delivered with a statement win, crushing their below-par opponents which was magnificently set up by Smith setting the tone, and the rest followed suit.
Bell had the unenviable task of opening the bowling in high humidity and conceded a couple of boundaries in her first over, but Smith immediately dragged things back as Wolvaardt chipped the ball straight back to her as it seemed to stick in the pitch – an immediate indication that England had read the conditions right with a spin-heavy attack while South Africa prioritised pace.
Smith was relentless with her consistency and was rewarded by bowling the in-form Brits and star all-rounder Kapp with balls that drifted through their defences.
There was a question mark over Sciver-Brunt, who has been easing her way back to bowling fitness after an Achilles problem, but she immediately silenced those doubts with Bosch trapped by a ball that stayed a little low while Chloe Tryon fell to a soft dismissal, plinking one to Alice Capsey at mid-wicket.
South Africa only managed six boundaries, three of them to Jafta, but their hopes ended when Nadine de Klerk was well caught at slip off Ecclestone to expose the tail.
Jones and Beaumont coast to victory
'That's a shot of some authority!' - Beaumont pulls Kapp delivery for four
South Africa's performance was indicative of an inconsistent batting surface, but England's openers showed patience and discipline to prove that runs were possible.
Chasing such a low total meant that their net run-rate would be boosted regardless of how hard they attacked, and there were very few risks taken as they negotiated the experienced Kapp in the opening spell.
Part-time spinner Tryon opened from the other end, suggesting that South Africa were acknowledging they had made a mistake with their selection.
Jones and Beaumont reunited at the top of the order at the beginning of the summer and started exceptionally with back-to-back stands of more than 200 against West Indies before some struggles against a superior India, so a 10-wicket win is a welcome boost of confidence for the duo.
Beaumont was a little scratchy, far from her fluent best on the uneven surface, but she was able to rein in her attacking instincts by rotating the strike effectively with the more fluent Jones, who played strongly down the ground and used her feet effectively to the spinners, a lesson to the Proteas batters who were repeatedly trapped on the crease.
With India and Australia as pre-tournament favourites, it is likely that the rest of the group stages will see England, South Africa and New Zealand scrapping for the last two semi-final spots and with this thrashing of one of those rivals, Sciver-Brunt's side are already in a very promising position.
