England Opt to Bowl First in Women’s World Cup Opener Against South Africa; Knight Returns for 150th ODI

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and chose to bowl first against South Africa in their opening match of the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, being held at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.

With the humidity at a taxing 83%, England have stacked their XI with spin options, fielding three spinners — Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, and Linsey Smith — alongside seamers Lauren Bell and Sciver-Brunt herself, who is returning to bowling after managing an Achilles issue since March.

The match also marks a milestone for England skipper Heather Knight, who returns from a hamstring injury to play her 150th ODI, coming in to bat at No. 3. Meanwhile, Emma Lamb retains her place in the middle order following an impressive warm-up campaign, which included scores of 84 against India and 60 versus Australia. Lamb’s inclusion sees experienced batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge miss out.

“As a team, we’d like to get out there and make a mark,” said Sciver-Brunt at the toss. “Hopefully the lights will come on and make the wicket a bit easier.”

South Africa, meanwhile, have opted for a balanced attack with three spinners and four seamers. Experienced pacer Masabata Klaas — who has a good World Cup record against England — has been preferred over Tumi Sekhukhune, while Anneke Bosch gets the nod at No. 5 ahead of Annerie Dercksen. Wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta has been promoted to No. 6.

Assessing the pitch, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said: “It looks a bit slower than we thought it would be watching that first game. In a tournament like this, there's such a long time to stay focused — so we’re just concentrating on England.”

Playing XIs:

England:
Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell

South Africa:
Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

Both teams will be aiming for a strong start in the tournament, with England eyeing redemption after falling short in the 2022 final, and South Africa seeking to build on recent strong performances in T20 World Cups.