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Who: Australia vs South AfricaContent: First Semi-Final, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024Date and time: Thursday, October 17th, 6pm (14:00 GMT)Location: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesHow to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text coverage begins at 10:30 GMT.
South Africa will have revenge on their minds when they take on the Australian giants at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as they aim to reach their eighth consecutive ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final.
After all, it was Australia who broke South Africa’s hearts as they defeated the 2023 World Cup hosts in the final in Cape Town and hoisted their sixth trophy aloft.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted on Thursday that it will not be easy to shake off the painful memories of that final.
“A lot has happened since then. We had two wins against them earlier this year,” Wolvaardt said in Wednesday's pregame press conference.
“Knowing that if we play our best cricket, we can beat our opponents, it creates a positive energy in the camp.”
Wolvaardt urged his team to be “smart” with their bowling and try to control Australia’s scoring rate to stay in the match.
“It’s easy to get carried away by what Australia have achieved, but we have the talent to beat them if we play a good game of cricket,” she said.
Meanwhile, Australia’s regular captain Alyssa Healy is likely to be absent from the pitch due to an injury to their wicketkeeper in the match against Pakistan.
The defending champions managed to cope without her in a tight match against India at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The match was dominated by Indian spectators, who encouraged their team to defeat the gold and green women’s team.
But Australia withdrew to maintain their unbeaten record and Australia’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry believes the team can “stick through the same process” and maintain mental consistency in the semi-final against South Africa .
Perry said Healy was an “important leader” despite being sidelined and would be confirmed closer to the game.
“The medical staff and team are going to give her (Healy) every opportunity and possibility to play tomorrow night,” Perry told reporters Wednesday.
And now there are 4🏆
Who will win the ICC Women’s Championship? #T20WorldCup 2024? pic.twitter.com/WorRfdr8Aa
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 16, 2024
Australia vs South Africa: Head to head results
Australia have defeated South Africa in nine of their 10 T20 encounters.
South Africa’s only win came in the Ryōgoku T20 series in January.
Australia’s best result in the T20 World Cup
Champion: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023
South Africa’s best result in the T20 World Cup
Runner-up: 2023
Form Guide: Australia
There’s not much to be said about the form of a team that has lost just one out of 20 games across all formats in 2024.
Last 5 games: WWWWW
Form Guide: South Africa
South Africa were the only team to beat Australia this year, defeating the champions by 149 in a one-day international match in February.
Proteas lost one match in the tournament but won the away T20 series against Pakistan.
Last 5 games: WWWWW
weather forecast
The Heat will continue to play a role in the tournament despite the evening start of the semifinals. With temperatures expected to hover around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity at 50%, conditions will be hot and sticky for athletes.
Toss and pitch conditions
The team that won the toss has chosen to bat first in five of the eight matches played in Dubai during this tournament, and the heat is likely to influence decisions.
India’s 172-3 victory over Sri Lanka remains the highest total at this venue despite many low-scoring encounters.
Team News: Australia
Australia will be testing the fitness of Healy, who missed the final group match against India after sustaining a leg injury against Pakistan. But Holder has a team packed with skill, experience and depth.
Team: Healy (captain, wicketkeeper), Talia McGrath, Darcey Brown, Ashley Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Lichfield, Sophie Molyneux, Beth Mooney (wicketkeeper) , Perry, Megan Shutt, Annabelle Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham
Team News: South Africa
South Africa will not make any changes to the squad that qualified for the semi-finals this week.
Team: Wolvaard (captain, wicketkeeper), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Blitz, Nadine de Klerk, Annelie Derksen, Mieke de Ridder (wicketkeeper), Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wicketkeeper), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Kaka, Sune Ruth, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnee Naidoo, Tumi Sekhuhune, Chloe Tryon.
