Speaking to CRICKETher after today’s match at Canterbury, having hit back-to-back centuries for England in a Player-of-the-Series winning performance, Tammy Beaumont was unequivocal about which she considers the better innings of the two:
“This is my proudest hundred for England,” she said.
“I don’t normally get runs in chases. Hove was the flashier, better-looking hundred but today it was very tough early on and I’m proud of getting through that new ball spell and making sure that I cashed in.”
“Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail upfront bowled 2 exceptional spells and it was just a case of getting though it,” she said.
“I like facing them. They have a bit of pace on the ball which suits me just fine from a history of men’s cricket.”
Opposing captain Dane van Niekerk also praised Beaumont’s performance: “Tammy stuck at it and England made us pay,” she said.
She contrasted England’s bowling today unfavourably with the performance of her own team:
“We had to adapt all the time – I never felt quite in. I have to commend the English bowlers, the way they went about that.”
“We need to fight more for wickets and not just expect wickets to come. It’s almost as if our bowlers get bored.”
Van Niekerk also called for more use of DRS in the women’s game, after Lizelle Lee was given out early on in South Africa’s innings to a ball that was almost certainly missing leg stump:
“From the top it looked out for me, but she knew she wasn’t out and she was right,” she said. “If there’s televised games I can’t see why we can’t use [DRS].”
CRICKETher 
Beaumont’s just a bit special isn’t she?
To be fair, so is van Niekerk, as far as I can tell. But she doesn’t play for England. (Wish she did, though.)
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Proud to be there today.
The grit and determination from Tammy Beaumont early on, playing and missing three times in one over from Marizanne Kapp, but getting through it. Then playing some exquisite attacking drives later in her innings.
Good for Heather Knight to get amongst the runs too!
Another good show from Sophie Ecclestone and Laura Marsh showing good form too! A much healthier outlook, may it continue……..
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She’s right to be proud of this one. Always that bit tougher in a chase.
Good all round from England, especially Beaumont and Knight. If South Africa wilted in the end I prefer to give England credit for grinding them into that forlorn situation.
One thing on Sarah Taylor. We are now reaching the stage where folks will go home disappointed if they don’t see her pull off something miraculous. Like going to watch your favourite band and they don’t do all their old classics, just the new stuff. She’s succeeded in turning the mind-boggling into the routine.
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