GUWAHATI: England flexed their muscles in their Women&#39;s World Cup opener with a ruthless 10-wicket demolition of South Africa in Guwahati on Friday. After bowling out the Proteas for a paltry 69 in just 20.4 overs, England&#39;s openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones made light work of the chase, cantering home in 14.1 overs. Electing to bowl first, England rolled the dice early by tossing the new ball to spin, a move captains often shy away from in the power play. But left-arm tweaker Linsey Smith turned out to be the ace up their sleeve, exploiting a tacky surface that had South Africa groping in the dark. &quot;To get that start was very special. I only found out yesterday that I was opening the bowling and I was excited for the challenge. The conditions suited me well,&quot; said Smith. It was just Smith&#39;s fifth ODI, but the 30-year-old is no stranger to international cricket, having been part of England&#39;s T20 side since 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the 50-over team, her willingness to bowl in the danger zone of the power play could be a trump card for England going forward in this campaign. Smith struck in each of her first three overs and was unlucky not to bag a fourth when a stumping chance off Sinalo Jafta went begging. Jafta clung on grimly for 22, the lone South African to reach double figures in a sorry tale of collapse. It was the Proteas&#39; third lowest total in ODIs and their worst against England. The chase was little more than a formality, though Jones survived a let-off on 31 when Masabata Klaas spilled a return catch. She finished unbeaten on 40 with Beaumont on 21 not out. &quot;Not the way we wanted to start the tournament. We&#39;ve shown resilience in the past and we&#39;ll bounce back,&quot; South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt insisted as her batters were left searching for answers. England&#39;s dominance was such that Heather Knight, marking her 150th ODI appearance wasn&#39;t required to bat or bowl as her team-mates were so dominant against South Africa. She became only the second player from England to feature in 150 women&#39;s ODIs. The emphatic win vaulted England to the top of the points table with all eight teams now having played one game each.

South Africa's Anneke Bosch walks off the field after losing her wicket as England's players celebrate during the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup match between England and South Africa in Guwahati, India, Tuesday, October 3, 2025. (AP)

Cricket

England dominated South Africa by 10 wickets in their Women’s World Cup opener, with Linsey Smith’s spin bowling instrumental in bowling out the Proteas for 69. Openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones completed an easy chase.

England thrash South Africa by 10 wickets at Women's World Cup

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ISLAMABAD: England capped their ODI series against South Africa with a historic statement, recording a 372-run victory, the largest margin of victory in ODI history, in the third and final match held Sunday in Southampton.Though South Africa had already clinched the series 2&ndash;0, England delivered a dominant performance that ensured a memorable finish. They shattered the previous ODI record held by India (317-run win over Sri Lanka in 2023).Bethell, Root hit centuriesEngland posted a colossal 414 for 5 in their 50 overs after being sent in to bat. Jacob Bethell led the assault with a blistering 110 off 82 balls, while Joe Root added a stylish 100 off 96. Jamie Smith and Jos Buttler also provided crucial support with 62 runs each, dismantling the South African attack.For South Africa, Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj grabbed two wickets apiece. But a lackluster fielding performance, including two dropped catches and 18 wides, crippled their efforts.South Africa collapse for 72In reply, South Africa slumped to just 72 runs, their second-lowest ODI total ever. Jofra Archer spearheaded the carnage, scalping 4 for 18, including three wickets in his first over. Adil Rashid (3 for 13) and Brydon Carse (2 for 33) were equally lethal, as South Africa staggered to four wickets for just eight runs.&ldquo;Embarrassing&rdquo; performanceSouth Africa&rsquo;s head coach, Shukri Conrad, didn&rsquo;t sugarcoat the defeat, labeling it &ldquo;embarrassing.&rdquo;&ldquo;Any excuse is better than none. We were definitely off today. Against a top side like England, when you&#39;re not on top of your game, you get exposed,&rdquo; he said, recalling a similar collapse against Australia earlier this season.&ldquo;Doesn&rsquo;t do us justice&rdquo;Captain Temba Bavuma echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that the result didn&#39;t reflect their recent success.&ldquo;This doesn&rsquo;t do us justice,&rdquo; Bavuma said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve beaten both Australia and England in series over the past month. We need to maintain our standards no matter the series context.&rdquo;Still, South Africa can take solace in having won their first ODI series in England since 1998, a confident seven-wicket victory in the opener followed by a five-run thriller in the second match.

Home-side thrash Proteas by 372 runs in historic series finale in Southampton.

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England thrash South Africa by 10 wickets at Women's World Cup

England crush South Africa by record margin in ODI series finale