Taylor ties up the series

England 242 for 5 (Taylor 82) beat South Africa 142 for 9 (Birch 3-28) by 100 runs
Scorecard

England's women sealed the five-match ODI series with a thumping 100-run win over South Africa at Johannesburg. Claire Taylor's rollicking 82 from 76 balls formed the backbone of an impressive total of 242 for 5 - one that proved far too much for a South African team that has failed to live up to expectations after their thrilling victory in the opening match.

England won the toss and were given an excellent start by Charlotte Edwards and Laura Newton, who added 78 for the first wicket. Both fell in quick succession, and Clare Connor didn't last long either - the first of three wickets for Cri-Zelda Brits - but Lydia Greenway scampered her way to an unbeaten 41 from 52 balls, which included a solitary boundary.

South Africa made a stodgy start to their reply, and had managed just 38 runs in the first 14 overs when Connor gained revenge over Brits and bowled her for 20. She was followed swiftly by Johmari Logtenberg (39 for 2), but the innings truly fell apart in a crazy over from Rosalie Birch. Alison Hodgkinson and Cindy Eksteen were both dismissed within three balls of each other, and then before another run had been added, South Africa's mainstay, Daleen Terblanche, was run out by Greenway for 25 (58 for 5).

Edwards made it a brace of Terblanche run-outs when Claire followed suit for 10, and at 89 for 6 the game was well and truly up. Alicia Smith rallied the tail with a defiant 38, but she soon became Birch's third victim, as England took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with one match to come.