Day 2 Wrap: England and New Zealand show title pedigree with statement wins
ENGLAND CRUSH ZIMBABWE WITH BAT AND BALL
Toss: England won the toss and chose to bat first
Result: England won by 176 runs
England produced a stunningly dominant display to get their campaign off to a terrific start.
Runs flowed right from the offset as openers Grace Scrivens (45 from 32) and Liberty Heap (25 from 12) put on a stand of 60 for the first wicket inside the powerplay.
The fall of the openers didn’t stem the flow of runs however, with Niamh Holland top-scoring from number three with 59 from 37 balls and Charis Pavely smashing 45 from 26 as England racked up a daunting 199/4 from their 20 overs.
Such a target was always likely to be out of Zimbabwe’s reach, but the chase never even got going. England rattled through the top-order in quick time, taking all ten wickets in just 12 overs to seal a crushing victory. Scrivens followed up her efforts with the bat with returns of four wickets for just two runs from her four overs, while Sophia Smale (2/5) and Josie Groves (2/5) also impressed.
KIWI OPENERS GIVE INDONESIA A TOUGH RIDE
Toss: Indonesia won the toss and chose to bat first
Result: New Zealand won by 10 wickets
New Zealand made short work of a straightforward chase against Indonesia in Potchefstroom.
Natasha Wakelin’s 3/14 and Anna Browning’s 2/12 did the damage with the ball along with two run-outs as Indonesia were restricted to just 74/7 from their 20 overs, with Desi Wulandari top-scoring with 16* with a rearguard effort.
The chase never troubled the Kiwis, with Browning back in the action again as part of an unbeaten opening stand. The all-rounder finished on 38* from 36, with her opening partner Antonia Hamilton hitting 26* from 21 at the other end.
There were still 10.3 overs remaining when Browning hit the winning runs with a six that narrowly escaped being caught by the fielder on the rope.
PAKISTAN DOWN SPIRITED RWANDA
Toss: Rwanda won the toss and chose to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 8 wickets
Rwanda’s U19 Women impressed on the country’s first-ever appearance at an ICC World Cup but were eventually undone by Pakistan’s quality with the bat.
Both teams got off to an erratic start on a slow wicket. Despite a 51-run stand for the second wicket between Cynthia Tuyizere (20 from 34) and Gisele Ishimwe (40 from 49), Pakistan’s improved bowling effort in the second half of the innings ensured that Rwanda were unable to build on that platform, ending with 106/8. Areesha Noor Bhatti (2/19), Syeda Aroob Shah (1/22) and Anosha Nasir (1/21) made their mark with the ball.
A charged-up Rwanda kept Pakistan quiet initially, holding them to 42/2 at the halfway stage of the chase. However, Eyman Fatima (65* from 60) and Aroob Shah (20* from 21) went through the gears to take the attack to the opposition and sealed the game in the 18th over.
ALL-ROUND ZAIDA JAMES HELPS WEST INDIES OVERWHELM IRELAND
Toss: Ireland won the toss and chose to bowl
Result: West Indies won by 7 runs
West Indies registered a victory in their opening encounter, as Ireland were left to rue their lack of control with the ball.
Guided by Zaida James (52 from 57), the West Indies top three accumulated 106 runs in the first 17 overs. And Ireland’s occasionally wayward bowling, which saw them concede 24 extras, helped West Indies reach 125/3 in their full quota of overs. The total could have been higher but for Freya Sargent’s double-wicket 18th over which accounted for James and Djenaba Joseph. Sargent finished with impressive figures of 2/9 from her four overs.
Though Amy Hunter (21 from 25) and Annabelle Squires (42 from 38) kept Ireland competitive, disciplined bowling ensured a win for the West Indies. James proved to be the difference yet again, her slow left-arm bowling ripping through the Ireland line-up. She finished with 4/20 as Ireland finished seven wickets down and seven runs short.
