Momentum Proteas Draw Rain Interrupted Test Match vs England

Night-watcher, Tumi Sekhukhune played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 33 off 134 balls in three hours at the crease as the Momentum Proteas secured a tenacious draw against England on the final day of the only Test match at the County Ground in Taunton on Thursday, 30 June 2022.

Following multiple rain delays, the two teams shared the four points on offer to kick off the multi-format tour. With the help of important knocks from Marizanne Kapp’s 43 off 58 deliveries and Lizelle Lee’s 36 off 51 balls, Sekhukhune played the ideal anchoring role to help South Africa survive the onslaught from the English bowlers before rain interruptions lead the game to finish in a stalemate.

South Africa resumed the final day of the Test on 55 / 3, still 78 runs behind the home side with captain Suné Luus and Sekhukhune out in the middle after the visitors lost late wickets in the final hour of play on day three. Despite holding their guard well early on, the experienced Kate Cross (2 / 56) found a way through Luus’ defence to trap her LBW for 10 to bring Lee to the crease.

The hard-hitting batter combined exceptionally well with Sekhukhune, finding the balance between attack and patience to record a crucial 54-run partnership before Lee was caught at mid-off after attempting another over the top shot. Shortly after taking a second innings lead with Sekhukhune still going strong alongside Kapp, both sets of players had to go off the field due to rain.

Similarly to yesterday’s stoppages, the delay lasted more than two hours, with an early lunch also taken. After the rain finally stopped, the two batters continued where they left off, adding important runs to the scoreboard on their way to a 63-run, sixth-wicket stand to take South Africa to a 48-run lead on 181 / 5 before the showers returned.

With time running out in the day and the inclement weather hanging around, both captains eventually shook hands and the team settled on a draw. The Player of the Match award went to England’s Nat Sciver for her 169 not out and a first innings wicket.

The two sides turn their attention to the limited-overs leg of the tour, with three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) getting underway from 11 – 18 July

Once-off Test: England vs South Africa (County Ground, Taunton) – Match Drawn

Day 4 Scores:

South Africa: 284 all out (M. Kapp 150 (213), A. Bosch 30 (58); K. Cross (4 / 63), L. Bell (2 / 47)

England: 417 / 8 dec after 120 overs (N. Sciver 169* (263), A. Davidson-Richards 107 (194); A. Bosch 3 / 77, N. Mlaba (2 / 74) South Africa: 181 / 5 after 68.1 overs (M. Kapp 43* (58), L. Lee 36 (51), T. Sekhukhune 33* (134); I. Wong 2 / 46, K. Cross 2 / 56)

Momentum Proteas Squad for England Tour – Test & ODIs:

Anneke Bosch (Senwes Dragons)

Trisha Chetty (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal)

Nadine de Klerk (Six Gun Grill Western Province)

Lara Goodall (Six Gun Grill Western Province)

Shabnim Ismail (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal)

Sinalo Jafta (Six Gun Grill Western Province)

Marizanne Kapp (Eastern Province)

Ayabonga Khaka (Imperial Lions)

Lizelle Lee (Senwes Dragons)

Suné Luus (Titans Ladies)

Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal)

Tumi Sekhukhune (Imperial Lions)

Andrie Steyn (Six Gun Grill Western Province)

Chloé Tryon (Hollywoodbets KZN Coastal)

Laura Wolvaardt (Six Gun Grill Western Province)

Momentum Proteas Tour to England Itinerary:

Warm-Up Match – Tuesday, 21 June – Thursday, 23 June @ 11h00 local time – Three-Day – South Africa vs England A (Arundel CC, Arundel)

Only Test – Monday, 27 June – Thursday June 30 @ 11h00 local time – Once-off Test – England vs South Africa (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)

Warm-Up Matches – Monday, 04 July @ 14h00 local time – T20 – South Africa vs England A (Cheltenham CC, Cheltenham)

Thursday, 07 July @ 11h00 local time – 50-over – South Africa vs England A (Cheltenham CC, Cheltenham)

One-Day International Series – Monday, 11 July @ 14h00 local time – 1st ODI – England vs South Africa (The County Ground, Northampton)

Friday, 15 July @ 14h00 local time – 2nd ODI – England vs South Africa (Bristol County Ground, Bristol)

Monday, 18 July @ 14h00 local time – 3rd ODI – England vs South Africa (The Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester)

T20 Series – Thursday, 21 July @ 19h00 local time – 1st T20 – England vs South Africa (The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford)

Saturday, 23 July @ 14h30 local time – 2nd T20 – England vs South Africa (Blackfinch New Road, Worcester)

Monday, 25 July @ 18h30 local time – 3rd T20 – England vs South Africa (The Incora County Ground, Derby)

Photo 1 Caption: Night-watcher, Tumi Sekhukhune played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 33 off 134 balls in three hours at the crease as the Momentum Proteas secured a tenacious draw against England on the final day of the only Test match at the County Ground in Taunton on Thursday, 30 June 2022. Photo: Marizanne Kapp (Instagram)

With editing by gsport