South Africa edge thriller against West Indies

South Africa 169 (Brits 72, Thomas 4-42) beat West Indies 168 (Nero 41, Brits 4-37)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball

South Africa edged a thriller at the Laudium Oval, beating West Indies by one run. West Indies made a decent chase of their target of 170, but pulled up one run short after the allrounder Cri-Zelda Brits took 4 for 37. Philippa Thomas was West Indies' hero with the ball - taking 4 for 42 from ten overs - and nearly proved so with the bat, racing along at a run a ball as her team closed in on victory with just one wicket left. But with three balls to go, and just two runs required, Thomas mishit a slog sweep, leaving Brits to celebrate a South African victory.

It could have been such a different story - after choosing to bat, South Africa were soon reeling at 16 for 4, with their shining star Johmari Logtenberg run out second ball without scoring - her second successive failure. But Brits and Shandre Fritz stabilized the innings, adding 42 for the fifth wicket until Felicia Cummings blasted out Fritz with a firebomb of a delivery.

The opener Brits stood firm amid a blitz from West Indies bowlers, striking a solid 72 to solidify South Africa's innings and lift them to 170. Juliana Nero top-scored with 41 for the unfancied West Indies team, but South Africa proved they had the stronger nerves as they held on for the points.

England 284 for 4 (SC Taylor 136, Edwards 63, Connor 54, Udawatte 3-38) defeated Sri Lanka 70 (Gunn 3-28, Pearson 3-23) by 214 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball

England made quick work of bowling out Sri Lanka for 70 at Harlequins to win their second World Cup match by 214 runs. Jenny Gunn and Lucy Pearson grabbed three wickets each to set Sri Lanka under the cosh from the outset, with the required run rate nearly six an over. They got off to a brisk start, thanks to a host of 39 extras (38 of them wides, 12 scattered by Gunn), but the clattering of wickets proved too much and no batsman made double figures. England wrapped up the match with 24 overs to spare.

Claire Taylor blasted a rapid 136 to lift England into a commanding position. Clare Connor may have questioned her decision to bat when Praba Udawatte trapped Laura Newton lbw for 3 (10 for 1). But this proved to be little more than an early scare when the in-form Taylor shared two towering stands - 128 with Charlotte Edwards and 119 with Connor - to boost England to 284 for 4.

Edwards' 63 represented a return to form at the right time and she became England's leading one-day run-scorer at the same time, while Connor's quickfire 54 from just 47 balls was just what England needed. Edwards has 2178 runs in 65 matches, surpassing her coach Janette Brittin's record of 2,121 from 63 matches set in 1993.

Udawatte dismissed Taylor and Connor late on to bring her haul to 3 for 38 from her ten overs, but she was the only one of eight bowlers to escape a mauling from England's batsmen. Priyanga de Alwis may have removed Edwards, but her solitary wicket came at a price: her six overs went for 65 runs as England made hay, led by the indomitable Taylor. Her 136 came from 128 balls, including 11 fours and a six. England now face Ireland, while Sri Lanka face another stern test: they take on the holders New Zealand.

Australia 174 for 7 (Blackwell 53) defeated New Zealand 142 (Rolls 60, Drumm 42, Rolton 3-22) by 32 runs
Scorecard

Australia defeated New Zealand by 32 runs at the LD de Villiers Oval. This was a topsy-turvy tussle between the favourites and the holders - with Australia emerging victors. But New Zealand's bowlers didn't make it easy for them at first, reducing Australia to a perilous 50 for 5, before Alex Blackwell and Cathryn Fitzpatrick rescued the top-rated team with a battling rearguard stand of 85. With just 174 runs to defend, Australia were far from sitting comfortably, but they soon had New Zealand in trouble at 23 for 3. Yet the holders came back into the match, as Rebecca Rolls and Haidee Tiffin put on 77 for the fourth wicket. But then a minor collapse prompted by Karen Rolton (3 for 22) and Julie Hayes (1 for 30) ultimately tipped the balance in Australia's favour.

India 68 for 1 defeated Ireland 65 (Sharma 3-12) by nine wickets
Scorecard

Mithali Raj and Anju Jain steered India to an easy nine-wicket victory against Ireland at the Tshwane University of Technology. Clare Shillington chose to bat but her side were soon in trouble and folded to 65 all out. Miriam Grearley offered the only resistance, a solid 38, but all around her were losing their heads, and their wickets. India kept theirs, though, losing only one wicket as they coasted home within 18 overs.