England and South Africa are gearing up for a mouth-watering battle in the second semifinal of the Women's T20 World Cup, set to be played on Thursday at The Oval. Both teams will fight for a place in the final of the tournament, with this match being the do-or-die face-off. England have been utterly consistent throughout the competition, completing the group stage with five wins from five matches. They are one of only two unbeaten teams in the tournament alongside Australia.
The hosts had already secured a semi-final berth before their final league fixture, but they still remained steadfast by dismantling the defending champions New Zealand with a powerful nine-wicket victory. England have also received a major boost, with star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt declared fit for the clash against South Africa at The Oval. The experienced campaigner returns after overcoming a calf injury that put her out of action in three matches during England's unbeaten run in the tournament.
South Africa, on the other hand, have been quite resilient, maintaining their composure to remain competitive. They have won four of their five matches, but the kind of toughness they have shown is incredibly extraordinary. Their only defeat came against Australia. The Proteas delivered convincing performances against India and the Netherlands, but they were made to work hard against Bangladesh. Chasing a target of 118, South Africa ran into trouble before sealing a four-wicket victory in the final over.
Head-to-head
Matches - 23
ENG-W won - 18
SA-W won - 4
No result - 1
England possible XI: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones (wk), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
South Africa possible XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba