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2023 champions finished bottom in women’s Hundred after losing six out of eight

Valkerie Baynes15-Aug-2024Southern Brave never took control of their Women’s Hundred title defence and must come back stronger next year, head coach Charlotte Edwards says.Brave lost two close games to London Spirit and Manchester Originals either side of a tie with Northern Superchargers to start the season but, apart from their solitary win of the season in a rain-affected clash with Oval Invincibles, they fell away badly.A record of six defeats from eight games was telling, perhaps none more so than a nine-wicket loss to Welsh Fire in their last match, at home on Wednesday.Brave were bowled out for 103, thanks largely to Hayley Matthews’ 4 for 14 and Jess Jonassen’s 3 for 21. Fire then overhauled the target with 26 balls to spare, Matthews sharing an unbroken stand of 72 with Tammy Beaumont, who struck 59 off 40 balls.Related

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Fire’s direct route to Sunday’s final at Lord’s was confirmed a few hours later, with Oval Invincibles unable to better their net run-rate in beating Trent Rockets by five wickets. That left Invincibles to face London Spirit in Saturday’s eliminator, and Southern Brave to pick over an underwhelming campaign.”The start was particularly hard because we played well and we didn’t win,” Edwards told ESPNcricinfo. “And then the back four games we probably haven’t played well. When you don’t start the competition as well and then you don’t end it well, you’re probably going to be sat in the position we’re in.”In different games we’ve bowled well or we’ve batted well, but we haven’t put a complete game together and what I’ve learned this season in the Hundred is the teams are getting stronger, the depth in each team is getting more and more and if you’re not quite on it, you’re going to get hurt and lose games of cricket, which we’ve done on a regular basis at the moment.”While the reality of Brave’s failed title defence was still raw, Edwards said a full analysis of what went wrong and how the side could turn that around wouldn’t happen until the end of this year.By that time, she hopes more would be known about the 2025 edition of the tournament, with the ECB seeking private investment ahead of the new season’s start.”We’ll go away and review what we’ve done so far, areas we need to improve, areas that we’ve done really well. I think that’s important, because it’s easy to gloss over those,” she said. “I won’t try to be too emotional and get involved in that right now but the bottom line is we need to be better than we were this year.”Edwards, who will coach Hampshire’s Tier 1 team in the top level of the restructured women’s domestic competition next year, has had her contract with Sydney Sixers extended for another two WBBL seasons.And she is certain she wants to continue as coach at Southern Brave and Mumbai Indians, who failed to defend their WPL title this year when they were eliminated by eventual champions Royal Challengers Bangalore.Edwards addresses her team in the huddle•ECB via Getty Images”I think I’m out of contract today [Wednesday] with the Brave, so hopefully they’ll re-sign me and it hasn’t gone too badly this year,” she said. “And at Mumbai, I’ll be hopefully looking to re-sign there.”It’s a great time to be involved as a player and as a coach. I’ve loved my time in India, hopefully looking to renegotiate that contract but we’ll have to wait and see.”Edwards also backed calls by Jhulan Goswami, her Mumbai Indians bowling coach, on ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast for franchise leagues to be protected by exclusive windows to avoid clashing with bilateral series, as happened with the WPL and England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. Another scheduling conflict looms later this year with the closing stages of the WBBL overlapping with England’s tour of South Africa.”It has to be three windows for me and that’s WPL, Hundred and WBBL,” Edwards said. “They’re the three biggest comps. That’s no disrespect to all the other comps, but I think they’re the three biggest comps in women’s cricket. They’re so important for the growth of the game.”I’m absolutely certain that with three comps that only last a month each, there’s nine months of the year to play international cricket. That certainly would be my recommendation, because we want the best players playing international cricket and we want the best players playing franchise cricket. It’s a no-brainer for me.”

Stand-in manages just 30 runs in four innings, but looks to bounce back at The Oval

Matt Roller01-Sep-2024Ollie Pope has pledged to “block out” criticism of his batting, as the scrutiny on him mounts following 30 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka. England may have a perfect record under his captaincy, but Pope has come under fire after failing to reach 20 across two Tests standing in for the injured Ben Stokes.Pope managed scores of 1 and 17 during England’s 190-run win at Lord’s, and the manner of his dismissals suggested that his bid to “compartmentalise” the captaincy had failed. In the first innings, he top-edged a wild pull to square leg; in the second, with England setting up a declaration, he was caught at deep point (the only man back on the off-side) when top-edging an uppercut.”I’m not going to put down my average shot to the fact that I was captain,” Pope said. “I’ll learn from it and move on, but I think I’ve managed my own game better throughout this match… The second innings was slightly different, because we were really trying to push the game forward, but I was very disappointed with the shot I played in the first innings so early on.”I’m not going to hide behind the fact that I’ve had two poor games with the bat. That’s the way cricket is sometimes and form comes and goes. But I think the best players are the ones who can draw a line under it and have a fresh start next week. Hopefully, I can put a score together.”Pope has long had a reputation as being frenetic early in his innings. Steve James of has labelled him “the worst starter since prawn cocktail”, and Pope has now been dismissed within his first 20 balls 32 times in 85 Test innings. Despite coming into the series in a decent vein of form, following a century and two fifties against West Indies, he conceded that his nervous starts are an issue that he is trying to address.Related

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“The last two games I’ve had, they’re learning games for me,” he said. “It definitely is something that I’m still trying to improve in my game, and obviously the way that I start my innings especially is something that I want to keep on improving – and then when I do get in, it’s trying to cash in as well.”Michael Vaughan has been particularly critical, labelling Pope “an insecure human being” and “not the kind of personality” that should be England captain. Pope said that had expected to find himself under more scrutiny while in temporary charge, and that his primary aim was to avoid “overthinking” ahead of Friday’s third Test at The Oval.”I’m not surprised,” he said. “Chatting to Stokesy before this series, when you’re captain as well, you’re going to attract a lot more [criticism]. To be honest, it is just important to block it out and keep staying close with the people around you. There’s a lot of voices, a lot of guys who want to have their say – some past cricketers as well – and that’s completely fine.”Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but it’s important for us as a team and me to stay and keep trusting the people in the four walls, because that’s not going to help me get back into my best form. Sometimes, when you have two bad games, it can feel a lot worse than it is because of the noise that’s surrounding it.””For me, it’s just trying to stay as level as I can and keep on trusting the people around me, putting my work in, and not really overthinking it, to be honest. When I went and made good runs in that West Indies series, that’s exactly what I was playing like, so there’s no real need for me to get too involved in what people are saying.”Pope has sought advice from Joe Root, whose twin hundreds set up England’s series-clinching win at Lord’s, since taking on the captaincy. “Any batter in England can learn a fair bit off him,” he said. “Form is something that comes and goes… for me, it’s not overthinking it, keep training hard, and going into the next game, it’s a completely fresh week, a fresh start.”It will be Pope’s first Test at his home ground – where he has scored 11 first-class hundreds for Surrey – since 2022. “Obviously it’s a great place to bat,” he said. “It’s always special getting back to The Oval, where I’ve played all my county cricket, so hopefully there will be a great crowd in. Everyone will be excited to get to The Oval.”England have not won every Test in a home season since 2004, and will be pushing for a summer sweep. “It would be a pretty cool thing to look back on,” Pope said. “We’ve played some really good cricket throughout this summer, and obviously had a tough winter away in India where the results weren’t what we wanted on the return trip. So to get used to winning games back-to-back is really pleasing for us.”

Manchester United are interested in signing an “outstanding” attacker in a surprise move, and he wants a £100,000-a-week contract to move to Old Trafford.

Man Utd still hopeful over Mbeumo signing

The signing of Matheus Cunha felt like a significant piece of business by the Red Devils, showing that they still have plenty of pulling power, despite failing to qualify for Europe last season.

Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has stood out as United’s primary transfer target since the arrival of Cunha from Wolves, but Tottenham are thought to be providing stiff competition for his signature, having appointed Thomas Frank as their new manager.

Some reports have said that the Red Devils are closing in on the signing of the Cameroonian, who was one of the Premier League’s best attacking players last season, scoring 20 goals in the competition and starting all 38 of Brentford’s matches.

Mbeumo would surely be a perfect option on the right-hand side of United’s attack, with Ruben Amorim admitting he wants a signing in that position, despite the emergence of Amad Diallo: “I think Amad in that position (right wing-back) he could be an option but in this moment with the type of players we have we need a left footer on that position in front. I try to reinforce the team with the idea and try to use the characteristics of the players.”

Free agent wants £100,000-a-week to join Man Utd after talks

Now, according to a fresh claim from Caught Offside, Manchester United are “considering” completing the surprise signing of Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of the new Premier League season after recently holding talks with the free agent.

The England international is available after leaving Everton earlier this summer, and it is believed that he is looking to earn £100,000-a-week at his next club, coming in at over £5m per year, which the report says could be too much for the Red Devils.

In truth, there are both positives and negatives to United signing Calvert-Lewin, with the free element of the signing jumping out as a good thing, not to mention the fact that Sean Dyche lauded him during their time together at Everton.

“I thought he was excellent. He’s had a bit of illness. We’re hopeful that has passed, he had it before the game, so I must commend him on that. His physical performance was outstanding, He’s not quite over it but we hope it settles down a bit.”

On the flip side, though, Calvert-Lewin has suffered badly with injury problems down the years, not starting over 30 Premier League games in a season since the 2020/21 campaign, so there would be a big risk element in bringing him in.

At 28, the striker, who scored at Old Trafford in 2021, is also no longer a young player who could develop or overcome fitness issues, so United should arguably be looking elsewhere for someone to lead the line.

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If Amorim brought in Calvert-Lewin as a squad option, as well as a superior signing to play most weeks, it could be sensible business, but it may be a non-starter due to his wage demands.

Tottenham are reportedly now favourites to sign a “remarkable” defender this summer, with Thomas Frank’s side earmarking the addition of a centre-half as one of their key priorities before deadline day on September 1.

Levy told key condition to sign £47m Frank target as Tottenham open talks

Spurs have been informed of the requirements.

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After Spurs triggered the obligation to buy clause in Kevin Danso’s deal, Frank currently boasts around six centre-backs in his squad right now – even if that number does include youngsters like Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Despite this, The Telegraph and journalist Matt Law confirmed earlier this week that Tottenham are still looking into signing another central defender – with Crystal Palace stalwart Marc Guehi remaining on their agenda after Daniel Levy failed with an audacious £70 million bid for him in January.

While the focus right now appears to be finally concluding a deal for Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, amid an ongoing legal dispute with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men over the transfer, it appears a new defender is also in Tottenham’s sights.

“Tottenham remain confident about their chances of signing the player. But, obviously, now this is a legal topic. They need to have discussions directly with Nottingham Forest to find the solution,” said Fabrizio Romano on the GMS Market Madness podcast a few days ago.

“Of course, it changes the timing of the deal. Tottenham’s perfect plan was probably to sign Kudus and Gibbs-White in 24 or 48 hours. It is now going to take a bit longer, but they remain intent on signing the player. That is still their plan, so let’s see how it continues on the legal side. But, for sure, Tottenham still want Morgan Gibbs-White.”

In terms of the defensive addition Levy could make, a lot of noise has surrounded Bournemouth star Illia Zabarnyi, despite PSG’s lengthy talks for the Ukranian which stretch back for weeks (Fabrizio Romano).

He was a mainstay in Andoni Iraola’s backline last season, helping the Cherries to their best-ever Premier League points tally, and Bournemouth will undoubtedly be reluctant to lose another star defender after Dean Huijsen.

While media sources suggest that Zabarnyi has already agreed personal terms with PSG, a new report from journalist Pete O’Rourke states that Spurs are definitely not out of the race just yet.

Tottenham emerge as "the frontrunners" to sign Illia Zabarnyi

According to O’Rourke, in a piece for Football Insider, Tottenham “have now emerged as the frontrunners” to sign Zabarnyi ahead of PSG – with Spurs said to be advancing a move for the 22-year-old.

The Lilywhites could now hijack PSG’s deal for Zabarnyi, it would seem, but Levy will have to fork out north of £60 million, as Bournemouth attempt to make a handsome profit off the £24 million they originally paid for him.

Interestingly, Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio claimed last week that Spurs are prepared to do just that, so this could be one to keep an eye on in the coming days.

In terms of Zabarnyi’s obvious quality, there is little doubt he’d upgrade Frank’s current options, with pundit Jamie Redknapp suggesting the Euro 2024 star didn’t quite get the credit he deserved last season.

“He is probably the most underrated player,” said Redknapp.

“I also spoke with Ukrainian legend Andriy Shevchenko, and he mentioned that Illia has everything it takes to reach the next level. Everyone is talking about Dean Huijsen. Yes, he is a fantastic young player, but Zabarnyi plays very aggressively in defense as well. I was genuinely impressed by him. He shows remarkable calmness on the pitch.”

There was a lot of overnight rain and some morning drizzle before play was called off

Ekanth12-Sep-2024Unrelenting rain has had the final say in Greater Noida yet again as play was called off before the scheduled start time for the second consecutive day. It leaves the first ever Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand on the brink of a washout, without a single ball bowled.”There has been more than 1200 mm of rain over seven days,” the broadcaster said as the fourth day’s play was abandoned. “The scale of rainfall has made it absolutely impossible for cricket today. We are going to come back on day five just in case, but the reality is there will be absolutely no prospect of play. We can’t envisage anything else but an abandonment very early tomorrow morning.”There were covers laid out over the majority of the ground and they were drenched from overnight rain. Some of the water poured over into the outfield forming a few puddles. Players from both teams remained in their hotels, which like the grim visuals, was a feature on Wednesday too. As was play being called off at 9.15am with the toss yet to take place.There have been three previous instances of play being abandoned for four days (not the first four days) in the past decade: India vs South Africa in Bengaluru in 2015, Bangladesh vs South Africa in Dhaka in 2015 and West Indies vs India in Port of Spain in 2016.Seven Tests have been abandoned, without a ball being bowled, in the history of men’s cricket, the last of which was in 1998, in Dunedin, between India and New Zealand.This is Afghanistan’s 10th Test match since they were given Full Member status in 2017. For New Zealand, the one-off Test marks the start of their subcontinent expedition which includes two Tests in Sri Lanka followed by three in India. Unlike those five fixtures, this one is not part of the World Test Championship.

In quite the twist, Newcastle United are now reportedly the frontrunners to land one of their top targets who has given PIF the green light to move forward with the deal.

Howe: "Complex" Isak situation "far from ideal"

Whilst Newcastle continue to chase transfers of their own, the saga of the summer has been threatening to unfold between Alexander Isak and those at St James’ Park. After deciding to train away from the club and at former side Real Sociedad, it looked as though the Swede had done enough to open the door to his exit as Liverpool came calling with an opening offer.

Ultimately, however, the Reds didn’t do enough and have since had the door slammed in their face by Newcastle, who are demanding as much as £150m to sell their star man. Liverpool’s offer worth £110m was, therefore, always likely to be turned down.

Whilst some around St James’ Park may celebrate Liverpool’s latest stance, it’s Eddie Howe who has been left to pick up the pieces of the Isak saga.

He told reporters when asked about the situation: “I think from my situation, I am very much removed from everything that is happening back home. I was made aware there was a bid yesterday. That bid was turned down before I heard about it.

The Newcastle boss then went on to say when asked if he knows where Isak is: “I know where he is through the media, so I think from that perspective it’s difficult for me to go into any detail. The situation is far from ideal. It is quite complex. I think that is all I have got to say.”

Meanwhile, as that situation continues to unravel, another key factor in any potential deal has reportedly progressed in Newcastle’s favour.

Sesko chooses Newcastle

Delo, the number one newspaper in Slovenia, has revealed Benjamin Sesko ‘has made a decision’ and ‘will continue his career with Newcastle United’, while also confirming the rival interest from Manchester United.

And according to Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Newcastle have now matched Sesko’s price-tag with a blockbuster “formal bid” worth as much as £70m. Jumping ahead of Manchester United in unexpected fashion, the Magpies could now solve their striker problem with what would become their biggest ever signing.

After a summer of rejections, the news that they are now leading the race to finally sign the striker that they’ve been craving will be music to the ears of all those in Tyneside.

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There’s still a way to go, of course, but there’s no doubt that Sesko would be an excellent addition. Described as “special” by former Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell, the towering forward looks destined for the Premier League.

Addition of Warwickshire allrounder the only change from squad that went to Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2024Jacob Bethell, the Warwickshire batting allrounder, has been drafted into England’s Test squad for next month’s tour of New Zealand, as a replacement for Jamie Smith, who will miss the entire trip on paternity leave.Bethell, who turned 21 earlier this week, made a solid impression during his white-ball debuts against Australia in September, including a matchwinning 44 from 24 balls in the second T20I in Cardiff. However, he has played just 20 County Championship games in his career, and has yet to make a first-class century.Bethell’s inclusion is the only change to the 16-man squad that slipped to a 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan last week. Jordan Cox, who was an unused batting reserve before being drafted into the white-ball squad in the Caribbean, is set to make his Test debut standing in for Smith as wicketkeeper.Bethell’s inclusion is the latest example of England’s move away from traditional selection criteria such as batting and bowling averages and proven experience, and towards players whom they consider have a high “ceiling”. Recent such picks include Leicestershire’s 20-year-old seamer Josh Hull, who debuted against Sri Lanka in the summer, and the spin pairing of Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, both of whom have been retained for the New Zealand tour.Speaking at the PCA Awards in London last month, where he was pipped to the Young Player of the Year trophy by Smith, Bethell had laid out his ambitions to be an all-formats player for England, insisting that a Test call-up remained his ultimate ambition.”It’s nice to tick off two of them [ODIs and T20I] but definitely the best one’s yet to come, hopefully. Test cricket has always been my dream, and I know it’s taken a different shape in the last three years but, definitely, that’s still my dream, to play Test cricket for England.”England Test squad to tour New Zealand•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn terms of his potential role in the Test side, Bethell acknowledged his lack of first-class experience means he’s “still finding that out”, but hopes that his second string as a left-arm spinner had enhance his credentials across conditions.”I definitely made my role clearer this year in the white-ball stuff, but I think at the minute I’m still very adaptable in red-ball,” he said, having made a career-best 93 against Nottinghamshire in April, while batting at No. 6.”I haven’t really found a place where I’ve gone, ‘right, this feels like home in terms of a place in the batting order’, but I think that could be anywhere from opening the batting to batting No. 7. Especially with bowling offspin, I’m hoping that I can get into a team being a genuine allrounder. so wherever that may be in the batting order it doesn’t really matter, it’s just actually getting into that team.”The series will begin at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday, November 28, with the next two Tests beginning at Wellington on December 6 and Hamilton on December 14.England Test squad to tour New Zealand: Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes

Rodri has picked out four players that could succeed him as the Ballon d’Or winner in 2025, with Lamine Yamal considered to be in the mix.

Spanish midfielder took the crown in 2024New recipient lined up for prestigious prizePSG & Barca superstars leading that raceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On the back of helping Manchester City to the Premier League title and Spain to European Championship glory, all-action midfielder Rodri was named the best player on the planet in 2024.

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He has endured a tough time since then, with knee ligament damage writing off much of his 2024-25 campaign, and that means a prestigious Golden Ball will be passed on to a new recipient when another glitzy ceremony takes place in Paris on September 22.

DID YOU KNOW?

Paris Saint-Germain’s exploits last season, as they broke their Champions League duck, are considered to make Ousmane Dembele a leading contender for the Ballon d’Or. Barcelona wonderkid Yamal remains part of that conversation at 18 years of age.

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Getty/GOALWHAT RODRI SAID

Asked to pick out his leading contenders, City talisman Rodri told reporters: “The Ballon d’Or is difficult. PSG has been the team of the season, and it would be hard not to give it to someone from that team. I’m happy for Luis Enrique. I’d like to see Lamine or Pedri win it for my affinity with them, but on sporting merit, Dembele or Vitinha.”

Co-owner Ryan Reynolds could only watch on as Wrexham lost again, succumbing to their third loss of the season as Queens Park Rangers beat them 3-1 on Saturday. Phil Parkinson was critical of his side despite pointing out a few positives. Indeed, the head coach lamented the team's disorganization in defense and believes the backline can do much better.

Wrexham's third loss in opening five Championship games

Wrexham's woeful start to life in the Championship continued with another setback, as Reynolds watched from the stands while QPR secured a 3-1 win at the Racecourse Ground. Parkinson, who might be feeling considerable pressure after three losses in five games, explained why his team have only managed to earn four points in the league so far.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWrexham are Championship's biggest summer spenders but fighting relegation

The Red Dragons came to the Championship on the back of three successive, record-breaking promotions. To say that their rise in English football has been meteoric would be an understatement. Over the summer, Reynolds' team splashed £33 million (€38m/$44m), recruiting as many as 13 players. However, after five games, Wrexham are languishing in 21st position on the Championship table, one spot and two points above the relegation zone. Adapting to the second tier was never going to be a cakewalk, but things are looking more arduous than expected, considering they were the biggest spenders in the Championship.

Parkinson emphasises Wrexham's own mistakes

Speaking to reporters after the loss, Parkinson said: "We've changed the squad around completely. There was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn't go completely as you'd want it. We've got to work this week on the training pitch to put on a performance like we showed at Millwall two weeks ago [when Wrexham won 2-0].

"The previous home games, we looked like we can create chances and score. But the goals we conceded – on one hand, you'll say they were clinical but when we analyse them all, we'll know we could have done better.

"I thought we started the game well and then we had a scrappy period with some mistakes on the ball. The goal really typified that period. We had to clear our lines quicker and be braver in the key moments to keep the ball out of the net. The third goal was just a real killer for us, it knocked the stuffing out of us."

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GettyUp next: Norwich City challenge awaits

The Welsh outfit will be desperate to turn the tables amid an injury crisis, as they prepare to take on Norwich City in their upcoming Championship clash on Saturday, September 20. 

Cross fails to recover in time from back spasms as MacDonald-Gay wins first Test cap

Firdose Moonda15-Dec-2024Close South Africa 17 for 0 trail England 395 for 9 dec (Sciver-Brunt 128, Bouchier 126, Mlaba 4-90) by 378 runsNat Sciver-Brunt scored the fastest hundred in women’s Tests, off 96 balls, eclipsing debutant Maia Bouchier who had briefly held the England record for herself, with a 124-ball effort in a show of batting dominance in Bloemfontein.England finished on their ninth-highest score and were well on track to post a new record until a South African comeback late in the day clipped their tail. South Africa took 6 for 96 in the third session and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed a career-best 4 for 90, as the surface started to show early signs of turn. That will only delight England’s spin pair, Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone, who will know that in hot weather, the surface’s deterioration will accelerate.With overhead cloud and the floodlights on, there was also some movement on offer and Heather Knight hoped her seamers would make inroads when she declared with England nine-down, leaving South Africa with six overs to face. Laura Wolvaardt and Anneke Bosch got through them on 17 without loss and will resume in what’s forecast to be blue, windless conditions on day two.Maia Bouchier made a century in her first Test innings•ECB/Getty ImagesOn what has historically been referred to as the flattest track in the country, Knight opted to bat first and England made full use of the batter-friendly conditions. Four of their first five partnerships were worth more than fifty runs. Their third-wicket stand of 174 off 172 balls between Bouchier and Sciver-Brunt demonstrated the best of their attacking mindset, which saw them score at a shave under five runs an over for the first two sessions and left South Africa out of ideas.Wolvaardt used eight bowlers in the first session-and-a-half and all of them struggled with their disciplines. They conceded 47 fours and two sixes in the first two sessions (and 59 fours overall) and their ground fielding was poor, with several balls slipping through the hands or under the body.South Africa will look back on the two chances they had early on and identify them as their best to take a wicket. Marizanne Kapp appealed for an lbw against Tammy Beaumont on the second ball of the morning, which was given not out by debutant umpire Kerrin Klaaste. With no DRS, South Africa could not review. Beaumont was on four at the time and dismissed for 21 when she pulled Ayanda Hlubi to Sune Luus at midwwicket to give Hlubi her first Test wicket. Bouchier could have been gone soon after when she had a mid-pitch mix-up with Knight but Tumi Sekhukhune’s throw to the striker’s end was wide. Bouchier was on nine at the time.Sekhukhune, picked as the third seamer, was only introduced in the 26th over but immediately found some swing. She could have had Bouchier on her second ball, when the England opener swung wildly over square leg but Kapp misjudged the catch and the ball went for six to bring up Bouchier’s fifty. After she raced to 43 off the first 45 balls she faced, Bouchier spent 25 deliveries working toward her half-century and showed the patience required for this format. England went to lunch on 103 for 1.South Africa enjoyed some success soon after the interval when Sekhukhune dismissed Knight lbw with the third ball of the session, but then it was the Sciver-Brunt show. She opened her account with a gentle push that beat Mlaba at mid-on and raced away for four and the runs kept coming in boundaries. There was at least one in every over, and Bouchier took three off a Dercksen over that put her into the 80s. She entered the 90s with a six straight down the ground off Sekhukhune and reached her century five overs later when she slashed a wide Chloe Tryon delivery through third.While that was happening, Sciver-Brunt had galloped to a 46-ball half-century, the second fastest in Test cricket, and was on 68 off 66 balls by the time Bouchier got to a hundred. Sciver-Brunt continued to move through the gears and offered a half-chance when she inside-edged Nadine de Klerk to fine leg but otherwise looked in complete control. As much as South Africa offered up some poor deliveries on the pads, Sciver-Brunt manufactured some excellent shots, read the length well and raced to hundred with a quick two off Luus. It was her second Test hundred, after an unbeaten 169 not out in her previous Test against South Africa at Taunton in 2022.Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed a career-best four-for•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesBouchier was dismissed in the next over before tea when she lashed at a Mlaba ball that turned a touch. Luus, at slip, reacted quickly to take the catch above her head to the right. Another wicket came two overs after the break when Mlaba got one to grip, turn and take Danni Wyatt-Hodge’s edge. England were 299 for 4 in the 63rd over.South Africa continued with a post-tea squeeze and the next 15 overs only cost them 56 runs, at below four runs an over. Sciver-Brunt’s scoring rate slowed down dramatically. After her hundred, she scored 28 runs off the next 47 balls but was keen to keep things going. She was well outside her crease at the non-striker’s end when Amy Jones drove the ball back to Mlaba who deflected it onto the stumps. The run-out cameras (of which there are only two instead of the usual four) were not needed and Sciver-Brunt walked.Despite removing her, South Africa did not take the second new ball when it became available and kept the spinners in operation with the old ball. Mlaba found appreciable turn from the Loch Logan end and bowled Dean off the under-edge. In her next over, Amy Jones skied her in the region of mid-off, where Kapp had to judge the swirling chance well to give Mlaba a career-best fourth wicket.The second new ball was taken after 90 overs and given to Kapp, who had only bowled six overs in the first session. She was on the money from the get-go and bowled England’s second debutant, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, for 11 with a delivery that angled in and squirted past the inside edge. Hlubi bowled Ecclestone when she missed a flick. Lauren Bell faced three balls before Knight called the innings closed, 20 minutes before the scheduled end of the day.