Du Preez knock helps SA post 219

require 219 runs to beat South Africa and secure a spot in the women’s World Cup final after teenager Laura Wolvaardt hit a determined 66 for the visitors on Tuesday.

It was the 18-year-old opener’s fourth half-century of the tournament and came off 81 balls, including six fours.

Her knock laid the foundations for South Africa, allowing Mignon du Preez to push on and score a half-century of her own, eventually finishing top-scorer with 76. Although playing on an already used, green-tinged pitch, South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk elected to bat with sunny blue skies overhead.

Her decision looked to be justified when Wolvaardt struck the first ball of the day for four.

However Anya Shrubsole soon had Lizelle Lee clean bowled for 7, having had a lbw decision against the powerful opener reversed on review the previous over. Sarah Taylor then produced a spectacular piece of wicketkeeping to whip Trisha Chetty’s bails off from a legside wide Nat Sciver delivery.

From there on England took control of proceedings as their spinners restricted the run-rate.

Wolvaardt and du Preez made steady but slow progress for the third-wicket partnership, putting on 77 before England captain Heather Knight bowled Wolvaardt off her second delivery of the match.

New bat Marizanne Kapp was fortunate to survive the next ball, when she sent a rasping shot back at Knight, who couldn’t hold on, but departed in the same over, run out by Shrubsole. Yet du Preez and Sune Luus kept the score ticking over to pose a challenging total, with the winners of this encounter playing either Australia or India in Sunday’s final at Lord’s.