WI slump to new low after 48 all out
South Africa 51 for 0 (Lee 29*) beat West Indies 48 (Nation 26, van Niekerk 4-0, Kapp 4-13) by 10 wickets
and ball-by-ball details
South Africa dismantled West Indies for the second-lowest total in their history and sixth lowest in the tournament's en route a crushing 10-wicket win, their second in three games, in 140 minutes. Less than a third of the overs in the game were bowled as South Africa completed their chase of 50 in 6.2 overs. A third successive loss left West Indies, runners-up of the 2013 edition, closer to elimination.
Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa captain, became the only bowler in cricket history to take four wickets in an international without conceding a run, but the damage was done earlier. Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail reduced West Indies to 5 for 16, with only one batsman - Chedean Nation - getting into double digits.
South Africa had warned of something like this in the warm-up match against West Indies ten days ago. Then, South Africa plucked their opposition for 63 and neither Ismail nor Kapp was among the wicket-takers. Here in Leicester, on a green-tinged top, they made up for that.
Ismail made two breakthroughs. She got the ball to nip back into the right-hand batsmen at pace, trapped Hayley Matthews lbw and took out Stafanie Taylor's off stump. She should have had debutant Reniece Boyce caught at third man in her next over but the chance was put down. Instead, it was Kapp who got rid of the newcomer in an over of mayhem, which effectively ended the contest.
In the eighth over, Boyce popped a leading edge back to Kapp off the first ball, Kyshona Knight was struck on the front pad in line with middle stump off the second delivery, and Deandra Dottin's leg stump went cartwheeling off the fifth. West Indies had half their batsmen back in the changeroom without even 20 runs on the board.
South Africa's change bowlers Ayabonga Khaka and Moseline Daniels kept the pressure on and conceded only 14 runs in the nine overs they bowled, which included four maiden overs before Dane van Niekerk brought herself on for a first taste of spin. Melissa Aguilliera, who had battled 37 balls for just three, tried to take her on but missed the sweep and was bowled. Shanel Daley also mistimed her aggression and top-edged a swing off van Niekerk to short-fine leg before Kapp was brought back on to finish things off.
She added a fourth to her haul when she bowled Afy Fletcher to finish with career-best figures but van Niekerk put the icing on the performance. Nation, who had managed to find the boundary five times in her innings, ran out of patience and chipped a catch to short midwicket before young Qiana Joseph, just 16 years old and in her first game, missed a sweep. Kapp and van Niekerk finished with the two best bowling figures by South African women in a World Cup game.
It did not seem things could get any worse for West Indies but they did in the field. In the third over of the South African innings, they dropped both openers off successive balls. Lizelle Lee was put down by Taylor and Laura Wolvaardt by Anisa Mohammed and both made full use of their lifelines. South Africa raced home in 38 balls to completely demoralise a West Indian side who have lost all three of their matches so far.