Beaumont guides England to ODI series win over SA

Third ODI, Potchefstroom

South Africa 233-8 (50 overs): Wolvaardt 61 (68); Ecclestone 2-26

England 153-4 (19 overs): Beaumont 65* (46); Kapp 3-24

England won by six wickets (DLS method)

Scorecard

England beat South Africa by six wickets in a rain-affected encounter in Potchefstroom to secure a 2-1 one-day international series win.

Set a revised target of 152 in 23 overs, England slipped to 25-3 with Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp delivering another masterful new-ball spell.

But Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones' sublime unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 90 revived the chase, steering England to their target with four overs to spare.

Beaumont finished with 65 from 46 balls, while Jones struck a lively 49 from 36.

England were initially set 234 in 50 overs by the hosts before a lengthy delay because of rain and lightning, and when play did resume it looked like the quick turnaround had caught them by surprise.

Opener Maia Bouchier fell for four after mistiming a pull shot in Kapp's first over, and Nat Sciver-Brunt was promoted to number three but was caught at point for a duck just two balls later.

Heather Knight was bowled by a beauty in the fifth over to leave England reeling and when Danni Wyatt-Hodge fell for 22, they were 68-4 and South Africa were on top.

But the hosts could not capitalise as their bowlers, Kapp aside, were wayward which allowed Beaumont and Jones to score freely under little pressure.

England had earlier restricted the hosts to 233-8 from their 50 overs, as captain Laura Wolvaardt top-scored with a fluent 61 from 68 balls at the top of the order.

But the rest of the batting line-up were guilty of squandering starts, with all of the top seven making double figures without kicking on.

Knight expertly rotated her bowlers in the heat, and they coped admirably with the blow dealt in the first over when Kate Cross left the field with a back injury and could not return, forcing Alice Capsey to bowl her full allocation (2-59).

England's tour concludes with a one-off Test match which starts on Sunday in Bloemfontein at 08:00 GMT.

South Africa started ominously through Wolvaardt, who looked in sparkling form during her 34th ODI half-century as England fed her too much width outside the off stump for her glorious cover drive to flourish.

It took England some time to adapt without the experienced Cross, who suffered a back spasm just five balls into the match and her consistency was missed in the powerplay as Wolvaardt and Lara Goodall notched an opening stand of 50.

But that was the highest partnership that they managed in a wasteful batting performance, which saw positive starts but the middle order lacked the discipline of Wolvaardt to make it count.

Kapp threatened to finish the innings on a high before she was caught at long-on for 38 off Capsey, visibly furious with her soft dismissal as it was a clear plan of theirs to attack the part-time spin.

Chloe Tryon was their last recognised batter and her departure at the end of the 39th over exposed South Africa's long tail, but a streaky ninth-wicket stand of 32 between Nonkululeko Mlaba and Mieke de Ridder pushed them to a respectable, if below-par, total.

South Africa have shown glimpses of their ability as a developing side during this series but their reliance on Wolvaardt and Kapp could be a concern when their skills are tested over four days.

Despite being a mainstay in the longer formats for England, Beaumont has been overlooked in the T20 set-up for the last couple of years as they wanted more aggression at the top of the order.

But, effectively tasked with a T20 innings, here Beaumont sent a clear message that she has still got what it takes to fulfil such a role if required.

As the top order crumbled around her, Beaumont used attack as her best form of defence against the swing of the new ball before cashing in against the less threatening change bowlers.

She used her feet effectively to skip down the pitch and combat the swing, scoring predominantly through the leg side with her trademark whippy wrists and strong drives.

Beaumont and Jones read the situation perfectly to capitalise on the weaker links of the attack by refusing to let the spinners settle.

Jones fell one run short of her half-century but played a crucial supporting knock which took the pressure off Beaumont, whose 35-ball fifty was her quickest in ODIs.

It is unlikely England will change their T20 opening partnership with the Ashes so soon in the new year, but it was still a timely reminder from Beaumont that she should not be written off yet.

England captain Heather Knight: "It was a brilliant effort. Losing your opening bowler in the first over and to rally round on a flat wicket in this heat was outstanding.

"We knew it was still a very good wicket [chasing a revised total]. I thought Tammy did an amazing job and set the tone early. Being under pressure in a must-win game, to win it pretty comfortably is really pleasing."

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt: "We started well with the bat but came up a bit short at the end, losing a few too many wickets so we couldn't maximise the final 10 overs. I think 260-280 and it would have been a different game.

"We will take a lot of learnings. It is a young group so we will do a lot of reflections but it was also a strong performance from England, they have been a tough competitor."

Player of the match Tammy Beaumont: "I thought they might move Danni Wyatt-Hodge to open given it was effectively a T20 match but I just saw it as a good wicket and wanted to score off as many balls as possible.

"When you come up against some of the best in the world in Marizanne Kapp and Nonkululeko Mlaba you have to be on it."