We have reached the Semi-finals of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the first of which will see the competition’s most successful team, Australia, take on South Africa in Dubai.
Before the game gets underway, here are our match preview and predictions.
Women’s T20 WC 2024 Match 21 | Semi-final 1 | Australia vs South Africa I 19:30 IST, October 17
Alyssa Healy and Co came into this T20 World Cup as favourites and have played in that manner throughout, dominating and turning up in crucial situations.
They started with a comfortable win against Sri Lanka, with Megan Schutt starting things off with a miserly three-wicket spell as Beth Mooney got among the runs. Against New Zealand, while the top order of Mooney, Healy, and Ellyse Perry got starts, the rest of the batting order had a bit of a hiccup and the Aussies restricted to 148/8, but Schutt, Sophie Molineux, and Annabel Sutherland restricted the Kiwis to 88 in response, sealing a big win. It was another commanding performance against Pakistan. Ashleigh Gardner’s four-for along with contributions Sutherland and Georgia Wareham bundled Pakistan out for 82 before Healy and Perry guided the team home to a nine-wicket win. Against Harmanpreet Kaur’s India, the Aussies looked vulnerable again, and while they got to 151/8 thanks to Grace Harris, Tahlia McGrath, and Perry, handy knocks Kaur and Deepti Sharma threatened to take the game away from them before tight spells from Molineux and Sutherland and a disciplined fielding effort saw them snatch a nine-run win.
Australia’s only worry coming into this game will be the injury to their captain, which Healy suffered in the Pakistan game and also missed the India match because of it.
South Africa, on the other hand, started their campaign with a big win as well, picking up a massive 10-wicket win over the West Indies as Nonkululeko Mlaba’s four-wicket haul restricted them to 118/6 before Laura Wolvaardit and Tazmin Brits’s unbeaten half-centuries saw the Proteas home. Against England on a slow Sharjah pitch, barring Laura Wolvaardt’s 42, the Proteas batters struggled to get going and managed only 124 in their 20 overs, which they failed to defend. They did bounce back in style against Scotland, putting up 166/5 batting first thanks to Wolvaardt, Brits, and Marizanne Kapp before their bowlers, again led by Mlaba and supported by Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk, bundled the Scots out for 86. In their final group stage game against Bangladesh, it was another clinical bowling performance that saw South Africa keep Bangladesh in check and restrict them to 106 before easing to a seven-wicket win.
Taking place on the slow Dubai pitch, we should be expecting another low-scoring encounter. South Africa have played most of their World Cup games in Dubai and will be used to the conditions. Up against them will be the mighty Australian batting line-up, and even if Healy misses out due to injury, Harris is more than capable to fill in well for her at the top of the order.
The Australians head into the semi-finals as the favourites, though we should be in for a close encounter.
Fantasy XI: Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt. Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Molineux, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Marizanne Kapp, Megan Schutt
Venue: Dubai
Winners Prediction: Australia
Also read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Sponsors
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