3rd NatWest Women's Twenty20 international, Northampton:
England 123-5 beat South Africa 80-9 by 43 runs

England captain Charlotte Edwards plays a reverse sweep

Skipper Charlotte Edwards made unbeaten scores of 76 and 33 as England wrapped up a 3-0 clean sweep in their Twenty20 series against South Africa.

Totals of 116-8 and 123-5 proved too much for the tourists at Northampton, with two games played in a single day.

England won the first by 37 runs after Edwards, who opened the batting, struck seven fours in her 66-ball knock.

In the second, 16-year-old seamer Anya Shrubsole marked her England Twenty20 debut with 3-19 in a 43-run victory.

It rounded off a highly successful week for the youngster from Bath, who learned she had passed 11 GCSEs on Thursday, with every grade either A or A*.

Having lost Friday's game by 54 runs, South Africa, despite their eagerness in the field, were again let down by their batting and Ashlyn Kilowan's 22 in the final match was their highest score of the day

England took the opportunity to give every member of their squad a run-out, with the exception of Claire Taylor, who was taken ill on Friday.

Anya Shrubsole removes South Africa opener Alicia Smith lbw

And after Edwards picked up another Player of the Match award for her 76 not out, she opted to drop herself down the order to six for the second match.

Sarah Taylor gave the innings a positive start with five boundaries in her 31 but Ebony Rainford-Brent followed two first-ball dismissals with a six-ball duck and it was left to Edwards and Beth Morgan (22) to steer England to a defendable total with a partnership of 49.

South Africa soon lost Olivia Anderson to Katherine Brunt in reply and Shrubsole's excellent four-over spell ensured they would not be marking their return home with a consolation win.

Off-spinner Laura Marsh picked up two wickets, slow left-armer Holly Colvin had South African skipper Cri-Zelda Brits stumped by Taylor and Lysnsey Askew bowled Kilowan to put England in confident mood for the upcoming, and tougher, series against India.

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