England, Australia favourites as semis loom

It is semifinals time at the Women’s Cricket World Cup in India. Unfortunately, the White Ferns did not make the cut. Hayden Meikle looks at the two match-ups.

ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA

Tonight, 10.30

How they got there: England qualified second with five wins and a no result from their seven games. One of their victories was a 10-wicket demolition of South Africa in the opening round of the tournament. The South Africans bounced back nicely from that rude awakening to peel off five straight wins and finish third.

History: England won the inaugural Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1973 and were also champions in 1993, 2009 and 2017. South Africa have never made the final but this is the third consecutive time they have reached the semifinals.

Form English batter: The great Heather Knight has 288 runs in the tournament, averaging nearly 58. She was at her best in an 86-ball century against India.

Form South African batter: Opener and captain Laura Wolvaardt brought up 300 runs for the tournament in the last game.

Form English bowler: Slow left-arm orthodox bowler Linsey Smith, who previously played for the Otago Sparks, has been consistent with 12 wickets and an economy rate of 3.6.

Form South African bowler: Nonkululeko Mlaba is another intriguing left-arm tweaker who has taken 11 wickets. She hit the headlines last year when she took 10 wickets in a test in a rare one-off against England. But don’t get us started on why the White Ferns aren't playing tests.

Prediction: Will probably rain, so expect a shortened game. England should be far too strong.

AUSTRALIA V INDIA

Tomorrow, 10.30pm

How they got there: Australia have been predictably dominant, winning six of their seven games with one no result to top the standings. India have been a mixed bag with three wins, three losses and one game rained out.

History: Australia are the defending champions and are seeking a record-extending eighth World Cup title. India have been runners-up twice, but missed the semifinals in the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand.

Form Australian batter: Alyssa Healy, the 2022 player of the tournament, has scored two tons in four innings but she has been battling a calf injury. The Aussies also have an in-form star in Ashleigh Gardner, who has 265 runs (two centuries) in her four knocks.

Form Indian batter: Smriti Mandhana, the two-time ICC player of the year, is the leading scorer at the tournament with 365 runs at 60.83.

Form Australian bowler: All-rounder Annabel Sutherland has hit a rich vein of form and is the joint leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps at 20.13 and an economy rate of 3.97. She also had a five-wicket bag in the round-robin game against India.

Form Indian bowler: Right-arm offspinner Deepti Sharma has matched Sutherland with 15 wickets.

Prediction: Will probably rain, so expect a shortened game. Australia naturally the favourites but India did score 330 against them in the round robin.