South Africa Women’s Team. (Photo Source: Matthew Lewis-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
England and South Africa will square off in the second semi-final contest of the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. While England will be on the hunt for their second T20 World Cup title, also their first since the inaugural edition of the tournament, the hosts will be aiming to clinch their maiden title.
England dominated the group stage and finished on top of the points table to comfortably make their way into the semi-final. South Africa, on the other hand, faced tough competition against New Zealand and Sri Lanka as all three teams had been in contention till the last league game. But the hosts clinched a magnificent 10-wicket victory against Bangladesh to bolster their net run rate and made it to the knockouts.
England missed out on the 2020 World Cup final after their semi-final game against India was abandoned and the Women in Blue got an entry into the summit clash. South Africa, on the other hand, lost their 2020 T20WC semi-final against Australia and were knocked out of the race. This time, both sides would be aiming to turn the tables around.
Given the current forms of both sides, England will be favorites to win the forthcoming contest but the Proteas women can not be underestimated. They have the home advantage and will be aiming to make the most of the conditions. In case the game is abandoned due to rain, England will get a direct entry to the finals by virtue of their higher points table ranking.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch at Cape Town’s Newlands Stadium normally favors spinners, but seamers have also benefited from the favorable conditions. Winning the toss, the captain would likely opt to chase down the target as the hitters make the most of the pitch in the second half. The team batting first would look to put a total above 170 runs as the average first innings score here is 150 runs.
Probable Playing XI for ENG-W vs SA-W, T20 World Cup 2023, Semi-Final 2
England Women
England put up the highest score in the history of the T20 World Cup in their previous game against Pakistan by scoring 213/5 while batting first. The team has been in great form and is unlikely to make any changes to their playing combination, so as to keep the momentum going.
Probable Playing XI: Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, Freya Davies/Lauren Bell
South Africa Women
South Africa’s T20 World Cup campaign this year has been sluggish, but the team has pulled off some fine performances so far. The bowlers have produced match-winning spells for South Africa, and Laura Wolvaardt and Chloe Tryon looked in formidable touch in the previous game. South Africa too might go unchanged.
Probable Playing XI- Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus (c), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Anneke Bosch/Delmi Tucker, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
ENG-W vs SA-W Head-to-Head in T20Is
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ENG-W vs SA-W Head-to-Head in T20 World Cup
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