England Women vs South Africa Women Prediction: Who will win the 3rd ODI?
England Women will take on South Africa Women in the third and final ODI of the series on Monday (July 18) at Grace Road in Leicester.
England are on a roll having already won the series with one match to go. The Heather Knight-led side were clinical in both ODIs, winning by comprehensive margins, with different players putting their hand up to help the team get over the line.
While Nat Sciver and Emma Lamb shone in the series opener, Sophia Dunkley and Charlotte Dean stepped up in the previous game to hand England an unassailable 2-0 lead.
South Africa, on the other hand, are struggling in all aspects and hence are lagging in the series. There have been some brilliant individual performances for them but the team effort is lacking.
Chloe Tryon scored a splendid 88 in the first game while Marizanne Kapp showcased her class in a must-win encounter with a 73-run knock. But contributions from others were lacking in both these encounters.
The tour hasn’t gone according to plans for South Africa so far. Moreover, Lizelle Lee's sudden retirement has reportedly left many in the team in a state of shock as well, which has affected their performances as well.
The visitors will be hoping to put on a good show in the dead rubber on July 18 to pull one back on the home team.
It will also be an opportunity for both teams to fine-tune their skills ahead of the Commonwealth Games later this month in Birmingham. The two teams are also set to face each other in a three-match T20I series from July 21.
Will South Africa Women (SA-W) beat England Women (EN-W)?
The Sune Luus-led side is filled with talented players but they have been inconsistent in this series. No batter from the top order managed to convert decent starts into big scores. This, in turn, put pressure on the middle and lower-middle order, where Tryon and Kapp bat. Despite their efforts to resurrect the team's innings, too much damage was already done and in the end, they lost the game.
Having said that, South Africa have nothing to lose. They will be looking to put up a fine show and gain some more confidence ahead of the T20I series.
England, meanwhile, are likely to rest some of their top players to test their bench strength. Even then, they seem to be a stronger unit and should be able to whitewash South Africa Women in this series. England Women are expected to be the clear winners of this match.
Prediction: England Women (EN-W) should win this encounter.