The English Team versus South Africa – Women's Cricket Global Tournament Begins
Ssshhhhhhhhh! The talking is over, for now at least, and England’s World Cup is ready to commence. On the downside, they start with a tough game against South Africa. On the upside, they kick off with a demanding fixture opposing the Proteas. A win in this match could provide immediate impetus for England and validate the careful optimism in their build-up discussions.
Pre-Tournament Momentum
A superb victory against the Australians during their final preparatory match has increased that confidence, even if the standout displays by Alice Capsey (scoring 88 not out) and Sarah Glenn (taking 5 wickets for 32 runs) gave Charlotte Edwards a slight selection headache.
Edwards is a serial winner, meaning there is little chance of the team having modest ambitions. But from a distance they find themselves in a somewhat uncommon situation where their tournament benchmark is quite obvious.
Tournament Expectations
Failure to reach the semi-finals might come as a small upset, even considering the improvement among the traditional also-rans. Advancing to the ultimate game before Australia or India, the two clear favourites to win the competition, would mark a significant accomplishment. Should England emerge victorious… we shouldn’t speculate further. It’s way too early for such discussions.
Today’s match begins at half past ten in the morning BST.
