Alyssa Healy continues to miss out as South Africa opt to bowl

Here it is, and then there are four: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies, who are in the semi-finals. South Africa will lock horns against Australia, a team that they have never beaten till now.

But here’s a big opportunity, right in front of them, to right the wrong and create history. The good news for South Africa is that they have played three out of their four games at the venue, which means they know the conditions quite well. 

Australia, though, are still sweating over the fitness of their skipper Alyssa Healy, who was seen on crutches during their previous fixture against India. If she’s fit, that’s a HUGE advantage for the six-time champions, Australia. 

Rightfully, Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field first, owing to how good the venue has been for teams that have been chasing.

Playing XIs

Alyssa Healy is still not fit, which means Tahlia McGrath will lead an unchanged XI for the semi-final. 

Australia’s XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Grace Harris, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath (c), Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

Wolvaardt was happy to chase here, and they go with an unchanged team. 

South Africa’s XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

Hear from the two captains

Laura Wolvaardt: We will field first. Looks like a fresh wicket, pretty nice, and we'll chase. Same team again. It comes onto the bat better in the second half. We're quietly confident coming into the match; they're a quality side, and I'm hoping to do well. 

Tahlia McGrath: It looks like a nice wicket. Quick outfield and runs on the board could be very useful in a knockout game. We're playing the same side that played against India. Nothing changes tonight, we'll have to go out and execute our plans.

How’s the pitch going to behave? 

"63m and 57m square boundaries, the straight boundary is 73m. There are more runs on offer here, the colour is lighter, and there is not a lot of grass. Swing could be the key here, the fast bowlers will get something off the surface, variation for the spinners will be crucial. Early wickets would be the key, with Mlaba being the key for South Africa," reckon Sana Mir and Pommie Mbangwa while looking at the pitch. 

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