TOP STORIES

Women's T20 World Cup Semi-Final: Unbeaten England take on stubborn South Africa

Thursday, 02-Jul-2026, 03:52 AM
News

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
























Tags

More News

News

Gurnoor Brar pulled up for code of conduct breach

3 hrs ago

India pacer Gurnoor Brar has been given a warning after breaching level one of the ICC Code of Conduct during the first ODI between England and India in Birmingham. Brar was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “throwing a ball at or near a player in an inappropriate and or dangerous manner...


News

"Lots of eyes and fingers will be pointed at Gautam Gambhir": AB de Villiers amid India's unexpected slump in T20Is

4 hrs ago

India were dealt crushing series defeats in the recently concluded T20I assignments against Ireland and England, with the defending champions struggling to match the intensity shown by the opposition and being handed a wake-up call. Across both series, India were clean swept, going down 2-0 to Ireland and 4-0 to England. Amid India's sudden dow...


News

Moises Henriques retires from Australian domestic cricket

7 hrs ago

Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has retired from Australian domestic cricket. Moises, who announced his first-class retirement in March 2025, led Sydney Sixers to the final of the BBL earlier this year in January; however, he was not given a contract for the upcoming season of the BBL, following which he decided to end his career with 154 BBL matches under his belt. ...


News

Ashwin urges Indian management to back Kuldeep Yadav

8 hrs ago

Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has raised questions over the way wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is being managed by the Indian management, asserting that the left-arm spinner deserves a more consistent role in the ODI side. Kuldeep has been left out of three of India's last four ODIs, including the opening ODI against England in Birmingham. On most occa...


News

ENG vs IND, 2nd ODI: India aim to seal series as England fight for survival

9 hrs ago

Having shown their dominance in the opening match, India will look to continue their impressive run as they gear up to take on England in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens on Thursday. India delivered a commanding performance in the series opener, sealing a six-wicket win and taking a 1-0 advantage. Now, they are one victory away from clinching the three-match s...