England, with 15 points and a net run rate of 3,42 top the table after the third round of matches in the Women’s Cricket World Cup on Saturday. India, with a run rate of 1,8, are in second position and Australia, with 13 points, are in third position.
In matches played on Saturday, Australia beat the West Indies by 79 runs at Olympia Park in Rustenburg. Australia won the toss and batted first. They were all out for 230 in the 50th over. Karen Rolton made 69 and Lise Keightley made 56. Envis Williams took three wickets for 32 runs. The West Indies were all out for 151 in the 49th over. Juliano Neto was top scorer with 40 runs and Rolton and Lise Sthalekar took two wickets each.
At the Tshwane University of Technology Oval, South Africa fell to the spinball wizardry of India, making just 80 runs off 34,3 overs after winning the toss. Teenager Johmari Logtenberg was top scorer with 26 runs. The Indian wrecker-in-chief was Deepa Marathe who took four wickets for one run in six overs. India achieved the winning total of 81 in the 26th over, for the loss of six wickets, to win by four wickets. A feature of the South African bowling was that they conceded 23 extras.
Defending champions New Zealand achieved their first win of the tournament when they easily beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets before lunch at the Harlequins Club. Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, were all out for 58. Rachel Pullar took two for six, Anna Corbin two for 15 and Helen Watson two for nought. New Zealand took just 18 overs and four balls to score the winning runs for the loss of three wickets.
England beat Ireland by 128 runs at the Eersterust Cricket Club. England won the toss and made 221 for six in their 50 overs, with captain Clare Connor making 82 and Arran Brindle 51. They put on 128 runs for the fifth wicket.
Ireland were all out for 93 with Clare Taylor taking two wickets for 13 runs and Connor two for 14.
England and India have 15 points each, Australia 13, New Zealand 10, and South Africa are in fifth position with eight points. The West Indies have four and both Ireland and Sri Lanka have three each.
The fourth round of matches will be played on Monday. – Sapa