England 113 for 0 (Bouchier 62*, Wyatt-Hodge 51*) won Scotland 109 for six (Kathryn Bryce 33, Ecclestone 2-13) off ten wickets
Bell bowled Lorna Jack-Brown, who finished her overall occupation with a three-ball duck. She finishes as the most capped player in Scotland’s history.
Bouchier and Wyatt-Hodge make a selection attack
The peculiarity of England’s era was illuminated by the sun when they abandoned their hotel for this occasion, as Bangladesh were trying to move house. The 2009 champions had only played two matches so far, while other teams had completed their group stage programme.
That included South Africa, who led Team B on Sunday morning, with the West Indies four points level with England but in second place with a higher NRR of 1.055 but having played one more game.
With everything planned before England, the calculations at half-time were simple. Succeed in the vital 110 in 11.5 overs or less to challenge South Africa’s lead, and 9.3 overs or less to overtake West Indies’ NRR. Although they did not lead to the fullest, Bouchier’s pace and leg delivery for four at the end of the 10th over saw England achieve both side quests with the crucial victory.
Although Scotland had been particularly unruly with their lines, Bouchier and Wyatt-Hodge had been brutal. They achieved England’s first opening century breakthrough in T20 World Cups since 2012, off just 54 deliveries. They also bagged the fastest group fifty of this edition in just 4.4 overs and the biggest powerplay at 66 for 0.
Bouchier began the chase with three fours off the first three balls, bowled by left-arm spinner Rachel Slater, on her way to a third career half-century off just 30 deliveries. Wyatt-Hodge’s 17th 50-over rating in T20Is was once six balls quicker. Nothing summed up the pair’s work on the project more than the 10 doctor fours colliding in a 16-ball line from the start of the fourth over.
Get out the calculators
England’s winners against the West Indies on Tuesday will be assured of a place in the final four of this World Cup. But the losers could still make it in the final two-scenario match.
If West Indies have to make 201 or more and win, England could still sneak in if the margin of defeat is just a single spell. Likewise, they can lose in a Super Over and do so if they settle for a West Indies rating of 194 or more in the law 20 overs.
Both seem not to go at all given the way the tone has been developing in Sharjah. But South African cricket fans know very well that the sadness of the World Cup can accelerate many normal ways…
Growing pains for Scotland
It was disheartening for Scotland to end their first Women’s World Cup with three significant defeats. The insensitive ones, since the West Indies, South Africa and England knew they had to adapt to the dominance of each and every alternative against the debutants of the world tournament.
After a promising opening match against Bangladesh, the gulf between Scotland and the top tier of women’s cricket has brightened abundantly over the past seven days. But the game as a whole has been a growing and significant pain for a team that seeks to define itself at this point.
There were flashes of words of honor along with the expected role of Kathryn and Sarah Bryce, who finished as the team’s eminent scorers. Had Olivia Bell directly held a return catch from Bouchier when the batsman was only 17, she would have maintained her streak of taking a wicket in every attack. That three of their four attacks came during matches (this was England’s first) was its own distinctive challenge, with temperatures in Sharjah regularly hovering in the low to mid 30s.
Considering they were granted ODI status in 2022, with professional commitments only coming in 2023, this can also be seen as another notable step in the right direction for Scottish women’s cricket.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is a fellow writer at ESPNcricinfo
