England took a step closer to a World Cup semi-final berth with a comprehensive victory in Christchurch against Pakistan, bowling them out for 105 in 41.3 overs before a welcome return to form for Danni Wyatt (76 not out from 68 balls) enabled the defending champions to chase down the runs with nine wickets and 184 balls to spare – giving a healthy boost to their net run rate in the process.
Katherine Brunt, who before this match had taken one wicket in the tournament, responded with a return of three for 17, before Sophie Ecclestone (three for 18) wrapped up the tail.
Brunt said she was happy to have finally made a contribution to the team, after a lean run of form with the ball. “We’ve been on tour a long time, 11 weeks away from home. When you’re having to turn up every day and put on a brave face, it’s difficult,” she said. “I’m a really competitive person and I want so badly to contribute every game, in any way. I always want to be involved, so when you’re not it genuinely feels rubbish.”
“That [first] wicket brought a lot of feelings out of me – I felt a lot of relief. We will definitely take a lot of confidence from this.”
England also pulled off two smart run-outs, as Pakistan were reduced to 59 for five in the first 25 overs of their innings and failed to claw it back.
England had won the toss and opted to bowl first, but struggled early on in their chase due to a hooping opening spell from Diana Baig. Tammy Beaumont was struck in front playing across the line in the fifth over and Pakistan correctly opted to review the on-field not-out decision. Baig then consistently beat the bat of Heather Knight (24no), who hung around but left most of the scoring shots to Wyatt.
Wyatt was handed a reprieve with four to her name, put down by Nida Dar at gully, and rubbed salt into the wound by sending the next three balls flying over the boundary rope. She snuck an edge past a diving Sidra Nawaz behind the stumps on 31, but was otherwise convincing, pulling hard through midwicket en route to her maiden World Cup half-century.
By the end she had banished the ghosts of England’s nervy run-chase against New Zealand on Sunday, lofting fours over mid-off with ease to hand England victory inside 20 overs.
Pakistan had come into the match buoyed up by their eight-wicket win against West Indies on Monday, breaking an 18-match losing streak that extended back to 2009, but this loss sealed their exit from the tournament. For England, a win in their final group-stage match against Bangladesh on Sunday will guarantee qualification for the semi-finals.
Brunt has struggled in this tournament to find a consistent line and length, but – after working hard in the nets on Wednesday to correct a technical fault in her action – something finally clicked against Pakistan. Her first ball of the day was a beauty of an outswinger that found the edge of Nahida Khan and was snaffled by Knight at slip, leaving Pakistan one down in the blink of an eye. A second spell brought wickets in successive overs – Dar trapped lbw, before Brunt nipped one back off the seam and bowled Sidra Ameen, Pakistan’s top scorer with 32 off 77 balls
England veered between the sublime and the ridiculous in the field. Sophia Dunkley (at cover) and Ecclestone (at mid-off) were left staring blankly at each other in the 13th over after a leading edge from Omaima Sohail fell safely between the two of them – each expecting the other to go for the catch. Fortunately for England, Beaumont made up for the error in the next over, running Sohail out with a direct hit from mid-off.
Dunkley had played a key role in the run-out of the Pakistan captain, Bismah Maroof, intercepting a throw from Amy Jones in front of the stumps after Maroof called for a nonexistent second run.
Knight labelled it England’s “most complete performance” of the World Cup. The surprise omission of the off-spinner Charlie Dean meant Knight brought herself into the attack in the 33rd over for a three-over cameo, which paid dividends when she claimed the scalp of Aliya Riaz with her second ball, caught top-edging a sweep to short fine leg.
Kate Cross lived up to her “Mrs Consistent” epithet, rattling the stumps of Sidra Nawaz (23 off 44) in the 39th after sending down 35 dot balls, conceding 19 runs from her eight overs. At the other end, Ecclestone’s inroads offered no respite. After forcing edges behind the stumps from Fatima Sana and Aiman Anwer, the left-armer finished things in style with a yorker to bowl Baig.
England have done some hard yards this tournament but on Thursday they made it look very easy indeed.
