South Africa clinch victory over England as Mignon du Preez reaches T20I landmark with a bang

Du Preez hit the winning runs in her 100th T20I for the Proteas as Dane van Niekerk's side chased down 124 to beat England with two balls to spare at the WACA

• Women's T20 World Cup Hub

South Africa beat England for the first time at a T20 World Cup, clinching a dramatic victory with two balls to spare as Mignon du Preez celebrated her 100th T20I appearance with a match-winning cameo.

After being asked to bat first at the WACA, England initially started well. Amy Jones, who has struggled for runs and fluency since arriving in Australia, began in fine fashion, striking two boundaries in the opening over and four overall, before she clubbed Marizanne Kapp to mid-off.

The dismissal of the England wicketkeeper brought about a significant shift in momentum. Danni Wyatt fell three balls later and from then through to the dismissal of Fran Wilson midway through the 14th over – chipping Dane van Niekerk’s leg-spin to long-on, England managed just 46 runs in a ten-over period.

During that time, captain Heather Knight was also dismissed by van Niekerk; she drove over mid-off but was well caught by Shabnim Ismail running round from long-on as England struggled to move on their score on a flat surface with short boundaries and a fast outfield.

There has been much debate around Tammy Beaumont’s batting position – she was carded to come in at No.6 here, before being relegated further to accommodate Katherine Brunt. That topic of discussion will not have quietened after this display. She only arrived at the crease with 14 balls to go of an innings that always felt 15 runs below par.

When the Kent batsman did enter the fray, however, she struck two fours in a six-ball cameo. Meanwhile, Nat Sciver continued to drag England towards a total as she shouldered the boundary-hitting burden.

The allrounder missed her side’s two warmup games against New Zealand and Sri Lanka as a precaution because of a knee problem. Yet, she looked in fine fettle in Perth – her Women’s Big Bash home, where she played alongside Jones under Lisa Keightley. She reached a fine half century from 40 balls, though she was bowled immediately afterwards by Ayabonga Khaka as she looked to chase late runs.

^{England struggled with the bat and could not restrict South Africa in response}

South Africa could hardly have been better with the ball. After van Niekerk looked to spring a surprise by opting to open the bowling with the left-arm spin of Nonkululeko Mlaba – an experiment that initially backfired, her much-vaunted trio of seamers impressed.

There were three wickets for Khaka and two for Kapp, while Ismail had Brunt caught at third man – the archetypal WACA wicket for the women’s game’s fastest bowler. It was a display that left the Proteas requiring just 124 for victory. At the toss, van Niekerk had declared that she simply fancied a chase at a ground that is historically not the easiest to defend; both West Indies and New Zealand won in Perth batting second on Saturday.

And after Lizelle Lee was dismissed early on, caught by Lauren Winfield at mid-on off Anya Shrubsole, it seemed for a long while as though van Niekerk and Kapp would knock the runs off with relative ease.

They put together an almost chanceless stand of 84 in 13 overs, before Kapp was caught and bowled by Sarah Glenn. It brought to an end a fine knock, characterised by some graceful drives both sides of the wicket.

When van Niekerk followed almost immediately afterwards, South Africa showed their first sign of nerves. Sophie Ecclestone enticed her to cut aerially to backward point – the first of two wickets for the hugely talented 20-year-old. Another followed for Ecclestone, winning a game of cat and mouse with Chloe Tryon in the penultimate over of the match.

But with nine runs needed from the final six balls, Mignon du Preez – on her landmark day – whipped Brunt over midwicket for a vital maximum to regain control for her side and bring the scores level. When she slapped the next ball from the veteran fast bowler for four, the game was won with two balls to spare.

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