Northampton : At the County Ground in this city, England defeated South Africa Women by five wickets in the opening One-Day International thanks to a debut century from young Emma Lamb and standout bowling from Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt.
The Proteas were dismissed for 218 in 47.4 overs thanks to Sciver's four-wicket haul and Brunt's three wickets, who proved to be difficult to deal with. After stopping South Africa's charge in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup semifinal in New Zealand, England scored a huge victory.
The hosts then scored the winning runs in 32.1 overs, thanks in large part to Emma Lamb's virtually run-a-ball 102, which featured 15 boundaries.
In her earlier return, Katherine Brunt established a quick rhythm, taking 2/5 in her first five-over spell. The fast finished with a third strike, overcoming Ayabonga Khaka's defences as the hosts continued to press for all ten wickets after shattering the South African batting order with strikes in back-to-back overs.
Nat Sciver, who finished with 4/59, was not as deadly with the new ball but came back to annihilate the middle order.
Chloe Tryon, who was injured and missed the Test match, demonstrated her strength in a valiant counterattack, smashing 13 boundaries in a 73-ball 88. Tryon prevented the visitors from collapsing completely by putting on 97 with Nadine de Klerk (38), walking out at 73/4, and losing Laura Wolvaardt shortly after at 108/5. This raised the score above 200. Only in the final five overs, when he was trying to shift into a higher gear, did the right-hander falter.
According to ICC, it was her second-highest score in the format and ninth ODI fifty for her.
The England lineup put a lot of pressure on Lamb to perform at the top of the order, but the 24-year-old outdid herself with an outstanding debut century in her first Test. After losing Tammy Beaumont early in the 219-run chase, Lamb outscored Sophia Dunkley aggressively in a partnership of 78 runs then plodded along with Sciver, who quickly made 55 runs from just 36 balls.
Lamb, however, was the star as she completed her century with an excellent drive wide of cover. Tumi Sekhukhune eventually caught the opener for 102, but the hosts had already won the match and were coasting home in the 33rd over.
Brief scores: South Africa Women 218 in 47.4 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 43, Chloe Tryon 88, Nadine de Klerk 38; Nat Sciver 4/59, Katherine Brunt 3/18) lost to England 219/5 in 32.1 overs (Emma Lamb 102, Nat Sciver 55) by five wickets. --- IANS
