Key events
15th over: England 38-1 (Knight 23, Beaumont 11) Beaumont tickles the first ball off her toes to open proceedings. De Klerk is full and looking for some movement with this ball only fourteen overs old. Shot! Heather Knight is too good to let a floaty half volley go by unpunished and she leans into a cover drive and threads the gap skilfully to get the first boundary of the day. Conditions look very good for batting.
The players take the field, an intriguing first session in prospect. Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa need a couple of quick wickets to put the pressure on and make sure that England don’t get too far in front. A light breeze billows the shirts and flagpoles, Nadine de Klerk is going to bowl the first over. Tammy Beaumont on strike, let’s play!
Righto, my tv is now beaming in pictures of a bright and sunny Bloemfontein into my rather murky front room in South London. Heather Knight is doing some shadow batting and the South African team are in a huddle on the boundary edge.
And here’s Ali’s report of the men’s side going down in the final Test of the series in New Zealand, to dip into your Burford Browns:
Here’s Raf’s report from Day two to dig into with your cornflakes:
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to day three of South Africa v England in Bloemfontein. After classy centuries from Maia Bouchier and Nat Sciver Brunt in their first innings and with Lauren Bell heading up an impressive all-round team bowling performance with four wickets, Heather Knight’s side are in a commanding position and will be looking to set up victory over the next day or so.
The captain and experienced hand Tammy Beaumont are at the crease with a lead of 145 and nine more wickets in which to stretch it to a match winning position. South Africa need quick wickets to keep their fourth innings chase to a manageable one. It promises to be a corker.
The action gets away in a little over half an hour, I’ll be here to take you through the first half of the day before throwing to Daniel Harris for the second. Let us know your thoughts, theories and festive musings at the email on the left hand side of this page.
It’s the most crickety time of the year.
