Women’s T20 World Cup: England close in on semi-finals after thumping 10-wicket win over Scotland

A ruthless England thrashed Scotland by 10 wickets at the Women’s T20 World Cup to all but secure a semi-final place.

Maia Bouchier (62no off 34) and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (51no off 26) powered England to an ask of 110 in just 10 overs, sharing the side’s first hundred opening stand in T20 World Cups since 2012.

The scale of the victory in Sharjah lifts Heather Knight’s team top of Group B, above South Africa on net-run rate, and they will secure a semi-final place by beating West Indies in Dubai on Tuesday.

However, England will qualify with anything other than a heavy defeat as their NRR is currently +1.716 compared to South Africa’s +1.382, giving them some margin for error.

England’s third win in a row was set up by the bowlers as they limited Scotland to 109-6, with spinner Sophie Ecclestone snaffling 2-13 and recalled seamer Lauren Bell 1-16.

Scotland, who have lost all four of their matches in their debut T20 World Cup, saw skipper Kathryn Bryce (33 off 28) and sister Sarah (27 off 31) top-score with the bat.

But their wayward bowling was brutally punished by England with Bouchier – dropped on 12 by Scotland spinner Olivia Bell – crunching 12 boundaries in a statement triumph for her side.

Scotland needed every chance to stick as they set about defending such a small total but Bell shelled Bouchier off her own bowling in the second over of the chase.

By then, though, the England opener had already struck three fours – consecutively off seamer Rachel Slater from the first three balls of the innings.

Bouchier had stuttered against South Africa last time out with a sketchy eight off 20 balls, yet she rebounded against Scotland to post the highest individual score in this tournament, eclipsing Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s 59 against West Indies.

Bouchier’s final four secured England’s victory with exactly half of the innings remaining, one ball after some comical Scotland fielding had led to overthrows and allowed Wyatt to clinch her half-century from 26 balls, four deliveries brisker than Bouchier’s.

Scotland began promisingly if sedately with the bat as Sarah Bryce and Saskia Horley (13) put on 38 for the first wicket, but when Horley ballooned Nat Sciver-Brunt (1-20) to Ecclestone at mid-off at the end of the eighth over, the World Cup debutants lost regular wickets.

The pick of the dismissals was Sarah Bryce’s, with England wicketkeeper Amy Jones stumping the batter off Ecclestone after gathering a rising ball close to her throat.

England seamer Danielle Gibson (1-5) bagged a wicket in her first over the competition, removing Ailsa Lister (11) after the Scotland player had mowed her team’s maiden six of the tournament, off England off-spinner Charlie Dean (1-26).

Plus, Bell inflicted a duck on Lorna Jack-Brown in the batter’s final match for Scotland before she becomes a full-time police officer – Jack-Brown castled heaving across the line.

It was England who put in an arresting performance, sending a message to their title rivals, notably favourites Australia, as they target a first T20 World Cup title since the inaugural edition in 2009.