The English Team against The South African Squad – Women's Cricket Global Tournament Begins
Ssshhhhhhhhh! The pre-match talk has concluded, for the time being, and the World Cup journey for England is set to start. The bad news is, they start with a tough game versus the South African side. The good news is, they open with a stern test against South Africa. Victory today could provide immediate impetus for England and validate the careful optimism of their pre-tournament chatter.
Pre-Competition Confidence
An impressive triumph versus the Aussies during their final preparatory match has boosted that self-assurance, even if the personal contributions by Alice Capsey (scoring 88 not out) and Sarah Glenn (5 for 32) caused a small team-selection puzzle for Charlotte Edwards.
Edwards is a serial winner, thus there is no risk of the team having modest ambitions. However, looking broadly they find themselves in a somewhat uncommon situation with a well-defined expectation for the event.
Competition Outlook
Not making the last four might come as a small upset, even allowing for the progress made by usual lower-ranked teams. Advancing to the ultimate game ahead of either Australia or India, the two clear favourites to win the competition, would mark a significant accomplishment. And if England win it… we shouldn’t speculate further. It’s far too soon for those kinds of predictions.
Today’s match begins at 10:30 AM British Summer Time.
