T20 tri-series

New Zealand 216-1 beat South Africa 150-6 by 66 runs

England 250-3 beat South Africa 129-6 by 121 runs

THE world record score in women's IT20s was broken twice on the same day as the tri-series got off to a flying start in Taunton.

South Africa were on the receiving end twice, with New Zealand's remarkable 216-1 surpassed later in the afternoon by a superb display of hitting from England, who racked up 250-3 as the 2,632 supporters in attendance enjoyed an afternoon to remember.

Tammy Beaumont was the star for the hosts, striking 116 from just 52 balls as she became England's fastest IT20 centurion, and home favourite Anya Shrubsole conceded just eight runs in her four overs to ensure the Proteas were never in the hunt in reply.

Having won the toss and opted to bat in the second game of the day, England openers Danni Wyatt and Beaumont showed no mercy to an attack perhaps downtrodden by earlier events.

Wyatt was the initial aggressor primarily courtesy of deft guides through third man and punchy cover drives, and Beaumont got going by striking four consecutive boundaries to take England past 50 in the fifth over.

The six-over powerplay came to a close with England on 69-0 - New Zealand had earlier been 56-0 at the same stage - and a change of pace failed to stem the tide as Wyatt and Beaumont continued to tee off.

Beaumont soon reached England's quickest ever half-century in T20 internatonals - taking just 27 balls to reach the landmark - and kept moving through the gears, lofting the game's first six with the final ball of the 10th over as the hosts reached the halfway stage on 116-0.

Then came the scoops and ramps as Beaumont displayed the strokeplay which has made her such a valuable player at the top of England's order.

South Africa found it impossible to set a field to the opener, who was finding boundaries all round the wicket, though the stand ended on 147 as Wyatt was caught at deep mid-wicket from the bowling of Stacy Lackay for a 36-ball 56.

There was no stopping Beaumont, who moved to a quite sublime century in the 14th over - coming from just 47 balls, it was England's quickest IT20 hundred and a remarkable 82 of the runs came in boundaries (16x4, 3x6).

She eventually fell caught and bowled to Lackay for 116, receiving a rapturous ovation as she departed, but Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver simply carried on from where Beaumont had left off.

Brunt hit three sixes in the 18th over, the second of which took England to the women's IT20 record score - perhaps a bitter pill to swallow for New Zealand, who had held the record for all of about four hours - with 20 balls of the innings remaining.

Sciver was bowled for a 15-ball 33 with two balls to spare, but Brunt finished unbeaten on 42 from just 16 balls as England finished on a remarkable 250-3.

Of the seven bowlers used, only Dane van Niekerk (0-38) went for less than 10 an over and South Africa at times didn't help themselves in the field - Brunt was dropped on long-on having scored just a single and a couple of early misfields helped England get off to a flyer as a tough day in the field took a toll on the Proteas.

In stark contrast to the carnage that had gone before, the first over of South Africa's innings was a maiden as Anya Shrubsole kept it tight early on.

The first wicket came Katherine Brunt's way in the next over as, having dropped a skier running back from mid-on two balls earlier, Jenny Gunn held on when offered a far simpler chance to see the back of Laura Wolvaardt (2).

Another drop denied Shrubsole her first wicket, as Sophie Ecclestone put down a routine low chance in the covers, but England didn't have to wait long for their next breakthrough as Danielle Hazell trapped Lizelle Lee lbw for 19.

Ecclestone atoned for her dropped catch by running out Tazmin Brits (1) with a direct hit from mid-off while Shrubsole continued to give nothing away from the Somerset Pavilion End - the seamer's first three overs conceded just two runs on a day in which the previous 60 overs had disappeared for 616.

Dane van Niekerk and Mignon du Preez added 75 largely untroubled runs for the fourth wicket but were never close to the mammoth required run rate.

Jenny Gunn almost pulled off an incredible catch on the boundary only to spill at the second attempt having clawed the ball back into play one-handed, and the stand was broken in the 16th over when du Preez (25) chipped Ecclestone to Heather Knight at extra cover.

Van Niekerk's fine innings was ended on 72 as Shrubsole took off to her right and held on to a fine diving catch at mid-off from the bowling of Brunt (2-18) and, in the growing gloom, Lackay picked out Sciver at mid-wicket to give Hazell her second wicket in the game's final over as England completed a 121-run win.

Speaking afterwards, Shrubsole said: "You are almost in a no-lose situation as a bowler as people are just expecting you to get whacked.

"I was pretty lucky that the ball swung and that worked in my favour, but all the credit for today needs to go to the girls who batted.

"If you're not relaxed going in to bowl when you've got 250 on the board then you are never going to be, but we were really keen not to rest on our laurels and put in a professional bowling and fielding performance, which I think in the main we did.

"I just tried to bowl a heavy length, bowl it straight and hope that it swung."