Sublime England see off South Africa for another shot at glory

Oh no, it’s happening again isn’t it? As Alice Capsey’s back leg absorbed the impact of Shabnim Ismail’s ball, and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt gave a shake of her head to say they would not appeal, England had slumped to 23-3 in the power play. After semi-final losses to South Africa in 2023 at the Proteas’s home T20 World Cup, and last year in the 50-over competition in India, it looked like England were steaming towards a third before the semi-final had even really got going. 

This was a cricket match that hinged on decisions and hypotheticals. As England reached the T20 World Cup final, their first in eight years, with an, at one point, improbable 40-run win over South Africa, their “what ifs?” were answered. South Africa were left pondering theirs. 

There was the what if around Sciver-Brunt recovering from the calf injury that had kept her out of all but the first two games of the World Cup. It was hard not to feel a twinge of sadness for Sophia Dunkley, who has deputised so admirably in Sciver-Brunt’s absence, dumped back on the bench. That was particularly the case when Sciver-Brunt had eight from her first twelve balls faced. But none of the record crowd of 21,128 people at the Oval were thinking about that as she reached her 19th half-century in T20 internationals.

Then there was the question of what might have happened if they had actually appealed the Capsey decision. Sciver-Brunt was as firm as a captain should be when she looked at the imploring eyes of the 21-year-old batter, but replays showed that it did look like Capsey had got an inside edge. South Africa burned both their reviews in the first nine overs so maybe some caution from England was wise, particularly given what came next.

With Capsey dismissed, former captain Heather Knight walked out to the crease to join Sciver-Brunt. Together they put on a partnership of 133, the best ever in a Women’s T20 World Cup knockout, taking England from 23-3 to 156-4. Somehow two players with one calf and one hamstring between them, but also 284 appearances in T20 internationals, helped England to a more-than-defendable total of 169.

Therethen was South Africa’s moment of regret. Marizanne Kapp may have been standing at the Pavilion End licking her lips like a fox in the henhouse as she stared down England’s top order, but to bowl her out in the first seven overs was a decision that left South Africa awfully exposed as Knight and Sciver-Brunt began to pull away. 

Run-chase records have tumbled at this World Cup, a result of the pitches, the increased professionalisation of women’s cricket or both. Australia had taken top spot on the leaderboard, chasing 172 against India at Lord’s, a day after England had equalled their own previous record by chasing 164 against New Zealand.

It felt like it should be a tall order for South Africa to chase it, but it felt like far less of one when it looked like they were going to get through the power play unscathed. That was until Sophie Ecclestone grabbed Laura Wolvaardt’s shot out of the air, just as it looked like it had whistled over her head. Wolvaardt has struggled all tournament, but England will not have forgotten the 169 she scored in the 50-over semi-final eight months ago. Bowler Linsey Smith jumped into Ecclestone’s arms.

Head coach Charlotte Edwards ran onto the pitch, finger in the air, celebrating, as they took drinks. It was a moment that gave a sense of what Edwards has brought to this group - a relentless competitor who has clearly driven standards but also someone who is still in the back of her mind out there playing with this group, even though she retired in 2016. The timelessness of Knight’s knock in the middle is typified by the fact that it was her who took over from Edwards as England captain after that retirement. 

South Africa were never able to get going after that, and the required run rate was above ten by the time they reached the eighth over. England were relentless in the field, with Smith’s sprint to save a boundary getting one of the biggest cheers of the night. What had looked like a nightmare became a procession for England.

Sciver-Brunt admitted afterwards that she was “very nervous” and “quite emotional” walking out to bat.

“Heather [Knight] and I have shared some brilliant partnerships over the years,” she said.

“To share it with her has been years in the making of us experiencing what we have in our careers in England, through the years of ups and downs that we’ve had. When you sit down and think about it after it’s all said and done, a really special moment.”

That Knight is still playing is another what-if moment for the team. It would have been easy for Edwards to want to rip up the old order and start afresh, as happened to her in 2016. Clearly what this England squad had been doing had not been working in recent years. Yet Edwards kept senior players integrated, something which extends to this tournament’s leading run-scorer, 35-year-old Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Maybe it was the pressure of a home World Cup which led to Edwards feeling like it was too much of a risk to simply start from scratch. But whatever it was, England are playing their best cricket in years. They look confident, sharp in the field and able to overcome adversity. Surely no team can truly stop this juggernaut.

Who do they face in the final on Sunday at Lord’s? Oh, Australia? Well then.

Photograph by Dan Istitene/Getty Images