England v The South African Squad – Women's Cricket Global Tournament Starts
Silence please! All discussions have ended, for now at least, and England’s World Cup is about to begin. The bad news is, they face a challenging match versus the South African side. The good news is, they start with a tough game opposing the Proteas. A win in this match could provide immediate impetus for England and legitimise the measured self-belief from their pre-competition talk.
Pre-Tournament Momentum
A superb victory against the Australians during their final preparatory match has increased that confidence, even if the personal contributions from Alice Capsey (remaining unbeaten on 88) and Sarah Glenn (taking 5 wickets for 32 runs) caused a small team-selection puzzle for Charlotte Edwards.
Edwards has a winning mentality, thus there is no risk that England will aim low. But from a distance they occupy a rare spot where their tournament benchmark is quite obvious.
Tournament Expectations
Not making the last four would be a minor shocker, even allowing for the progress made by usual lower-ranked teams. Making it to the championship match ahead of either Australia or India, the primary frontrunners to claim the title, would represent a major feat. Should England emerge victorious… no, let’s not go there. It’s far too soon for such discussions.
Today’s match begins at half past ten in the morning BST.
