England v South Africa – Women’s Global Tournament Kicks Off
Quiet now! The pre-match talk has concluded, at least for the moment, and England's global campaign is ready to commence. The bad news is, they face a challenging match against South Africa. Fortunately, they open with a stern test opposing the Proteas. A win in this match might boost England's confidence right away and legitimise the measured self-belief from their pre-competition talk.
Pre-Tournament Momentum
An excellent win versus the Aussies during their final preparatory match has increased that confidence, even if the standout displays by Alice Capsey (scoring 88 not out) alongside Sarah Glenn (claiming 5/32) caused a small team-selection puzzle for Charlotte Edwards.
Edwards is a serial winner, thus there is no risk of England setting their sights low. Yet, externally they find themselves in a somewhat uncommon situation where their tournament benchmark is quite obvious.
Competition Outlook
Not making the last four might come as a small upset, even allowing for the advances from historically weaker sides. Reaching the final before Australia or India, the primary frontrunners to win the competition, would mark a significant accomplishment. If the English side triumphs… no, let’s not go there. It’s far too soon for that sort of talk.
Today’s match begins at 10.30am BST.
