GUWAHATI: England flexed their muscles in their Women’s World Cup opener with a ruthless 10-wicket demolition of South Africa in Guwahati on Friday.

After bowling out the Proteas for a paltry 69 in just 20.4 overs, England’s openers Tam­my Beaumont and Amy Jones made light work of the chase, cantering home in 14.1 overs.

Electing to bowl first, England rolled the dice early by tossing the new ball to spin, a move captains often shy away from in the power play. But left-arm tweaker Linsey Smith turned out to be the ace up their sleeve, exploiting a tacky surface that had South Africa groping in the dark.

“To get that start was very special. I only found out yesterday that I was opening the bowling and I was excited for the challenge. The conditions suited me well,” said Smith.

It was just Smith’s fifth ODI, but the 30-year-old is no stranger to international cricket, having been part of England’s T20 side since 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the 50-over team, her willingness to bowl in the danger zone of the power play could be a trump card for England going forward in this campaign.

Smith struck in each of her first three overs and was unlucky not to bag a fourth when a stumping chance off Sinalo Jafta went begging. Jafta clung on grimly for 22, the lone South African to reach double figures in a sorry tale of collapse.

It was the Proteas’ third lowest total in ODIs and their worst against England.

The chase was little more than a formality, though Jones survived a let-off on 31 when Masabata Klaas spilled a return catch. She finished unbeaten on 40 with Beaumont on 21 not out.

“Not the way we wanted to start the tournament. We’ve shown resilience in the past and we’ll bounce back,” South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt insisted as her batters were left searching for answers.

England’s dominance was such that Heather Knight, marking her 150th ODI appearance wasn’t required to bat or bowl as her team-mates were so dominant against South Africa. She became only the second player from England to feature in 150 women’s ODIs.

The emphatic win vaulted England to the top of the points table with all eight teams now having played one game each.

SOUTH AFRICA:

L. Wolvaardt c&b Smith 5

T. Brits b Smith 5

S. Luus b Bell 2

M. Kapp b Smith 4

A. Bosch lbw b Sciver-Brunt 6

S. Jafta b Ecclestone 22

C. Tryon c Capsey b Sciver-Brunt 2

N. de Klerk c Knight b Ecclestone 3

M. Klaas b Dean 3

A. Khaka not out 6

N. Mlaba b Dean 3

EXTRAS (W-8) 8

TOTAL (all out, 20.4 overs) 69

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-9 (Wolvaardt), 2-12 (Brits), 3-17 (Luus), 4-19 (Kapp), 5-31 (Bosch), 6-38 (Tryon), 7-48 (de Klerk), 8-60 .(Klaas), 9-60 (Jafta)

BOWLING: Bell 4-0-24-1 (1w), Smith 4-2 7-3, Sciver-Brunt 3-1-5-2 (1w), Ecclestone 6-2-19-2 (1w), Dean 3.4-0-14-2 (1w)

ENGLAND:

T. Beaumont not out 21

A. Jones not out 40

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-9) 12

TOTAL (for no wicket, 14.1 overs) 73

DID NOT BAT: H. Knight, N. Sciver-Brunt, S. Dunkley, E. Lamb, A. Capsey, C. Dean, S. Ecclestone, L. Smith, L. Bell

BOWLING: Kapp 4-0-13-0, Tryon 3-0-17-0 (2w), Klaas 4-0-18-0 (3w), Mlaba 2-1-9-0, Khaka 1.1-0-13-0

RESULT: England won by 10 wickets.

PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Linsey Smith

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2025