The English Team against The South African Squad – Women’s World Cup Begins
Silence please! All discussions have ended, for the time being, and England’s World Cup is about to begin. On the downside, they begin against a formidable opponent against South Africa. The good news is, they open with a stern test opposing the Proteas. Victory today would give England instant momentum and validate the measured self-belief in their build-up discussions.
Pre-Tournament Momentum
An impressive triumph over Australia in their previous practice game has heightened their belief, even if the individual performances by Alice Capsey (scoring 88 not out) and Sarah Glenn (5 for 32) caused a small team-selection puzzle for Charlotte Edwards.
Edwards is a serial winner, meaning there is little chance that England will aim low. Yet, externally they find themselves in a somewhat uncommon situation where their tournament benchmark is quite obvious.
Competition Outlook
Failure to reach the semi-finals would be a minor shocker, even allowing for the advances from historically weaker sides. Reaching the final before Australia or India, the two clear favourites to claim the title, would represent a major feat. And if England win it… no, let’s not go there. It’s far too soon for that sort of talk.
This fixture commences at half past ten in the morning BST.