50 for Sarah Taylorpublished at 29.2 overs

29.2 overs

Eng 165-1

Sarah Taylor brings up her half-century with four through the leg side. The crowd applauds and team-mate Katherine Brunt celebrates with a little dance.

Ebony Rainford-Brent
Ex-England batter on BBC Test Match Special

England's batting is start to click. Winfield back fit, Beaumont finding some form, then Taylor, Knight and Sciver. It's a very good batting line-up.

England's batting looks good, you know. Sarah Taylor's form is worth a million dollars in a competition like this. The runs are flowing, the sun is shining, the partnership is worth more than 100. All's good.

Sune Luus is your typical leggie - there's always one you can dispatch to the boundary, which Tammy Beaumont does with glee when she belts a full toss over mid-off for four. That's the 150, ladies and gentlemen, their last 50 coming up off 48 balls.

This, by the way, is how you bring up a half-century in a home World Cup. With a flourish.

England's running between the wickets continues to impress too - three more singles keeps the scoreboard moving during a tidy over from Moseline Daniels.

Thanks Stephan.

Tammy Beaumont's batting magnificently here. I find it amazing that she doesn't have a bat sponsor. Not that she needs one as she sweeps Luus to the boundary. England rattling along nicely.

Dane van Niekerk has switched ends, meaning we have an attack of double leg-spin. The over-rate is about to go through the roof. No sign of the brakes being applied to England. This partnership is worth 74 runs. Halfway through the innings. Here's Marc Higginson.

I've seen that Taylor run out from a couple of different angles now. I'm fairly certain she was out. I still can't get my head around why there is no TV umpire when every game is being filmed by TV cameras. Sune Luus, in her second over of leg-breaks, is improving. Only two from it.

50 for Tammy Beaumontpublished at 23 overs

23 overs

Eng 125-1

That's an impressive way to reach a half-century. A shimmy down the track, a full swing of the bat, back over the bowler's head for four. Tammy Beaumont has struggled in the first three games of this tournament, but has been in wonderful touch today.

It looks like Joe Root has spent his morning posing at Lord's ahead of his first Test as captain tomorrow...

Image source, Getty Images

Good lord, this is very, very close. Sarah Taylor back for a second run, bails off, appeal declined. There's no third umpire in this match. I had my finger up. Why is there no TV umpire? This is the World Cup. Seems like a pretty poor show. Replays show that Taylor might have been struggling.

Trick shot time for Sarah Taylor, who nonchalantly reverse-flicks Khaka to third man for four. The difficulty of that stroke is off the scale, but Taylor made it look like she was flicking the head off a dandelion. Then a swivel on a pull for four more. She's scoring at a run a ball, while Beaumont is nearing a half-century thanks to shots like this...

Van Niekerk has a laboured approach to the crease. Slightly side to side, then a very round-arm action. Sarah Taylor misses out on a juicy full toss that should have been hit to Gloucester, and singles are the order of the day.

Skipper Van Niekerk continues to shuffle the pack, redeploying the fast-medium of Ayabonga Khaka. Khaka has a very deliberate run-up, both feet on her mark before she sets off, a la Mark Wood. Twice she's too wide of the off stump, causing the umpire to exercise his arms.

Now then. Dane van Niekerk gently loops a leg-break into the front pad of Tammy Beaumont and asks the question. I reckon that's close, but Van Niekerk is smiling when the appeal is rejected. In response, Beaumont skips down the track to take four downtown.

Three spectators in the crowd are already well past halfway of three pints of something lagery. Before midday, too. Taylor, with an open stance, wristily takes Kapp through mid-wicket for four, all the timing of Dave Grohl on the drums.

Just joining us? Here's the only wicket to have fallen so far...

Charlotte Edwards
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

England will be pleased to with their start, they have played brilliantly.

Ah, finally some tweak. South Africa skipper Dane van Niekerk (very easy to type 'Dave' when you're in a rush) with her leggies. She took 4-0 against West Indies. Already she's struggling to match that as Beaumont uses here feet to drive through the covers for four. Time for drinks.