Women’s T20 World Cup: England out to avoid more semi-final heartache vs South Africa and reach home final at Lord’s | Cricket News

England have been perfect at the Women’s T20 World Cup so far, chalking up five wins from five.

But they now enter a knockout stage that has proved their nemesis – and against a side, in South Africa, that have proved likewise.

Not since that glorious summer day at Lord’s in 2017, when Anya Shrubsole ripped through India’s batting line-up during an inspired spell, have England won a World Cup in either white-ball format.

In six completed knockout matches at 50-over and T20 World Cups between then and now (we will discount the rain-off against India in Sydney in 2020 which led to them being eliminated by dint of finishing below their opponents in the group stage), England possess a record of lost four, won two.

If we also include the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, then that unwanted ledger stretches to lost six, won two.

England breezed through the pool phase on home turf four years ago with three victories from three, only to then be beaten by India in the semi-finals and then by New Zealand in the third-place play-off as they missed out on a medal altogether.

Australia – the benchmark women’s team and already in this year’s final – denied England victory in the 2018 T20 World Cup and 2022 50-over World Cup finals, but recently it is South Africa – whom England play at The Oval on Thursday – who have had their knockout number.

Cape Town and Guwahati semi-finals go South Africa’s way

In Cape Town in February 2023, England were seemingly cruising towards a T20 World Cup final against, you guessed it, Australia, only for the wheels to come off when Nat Sciver-Brunt was caught in the deep off seam-bowling all-rounder Nadine de Klerk.

From 132-3 in the 17th over chasing 159, England proceeded to lose five wickets for 21 runs, including three in one over, and ended up being beaten by six runs. At least that was close.

Fast forward two-and-a-bit years to the 50-over World Cup semi-final, in India in late 2025, and they were trounced by 125 runs, bundled out for 194 in reply to a South Africa total of 319 in which Proteas skipper Laura Wolvaardt stroked a majestic 169.

That was 169 more than England’s top three managed combined, with Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight dismissed for ducks across the first over and one ball. Sciver-Brunt impressed again, making 64, but once more her efforts came in vain.

So, why will this semi-final be any different?

Why England should be confident of reaching final

Well, head coach Charlotte Edwards, a serial winner as a player and also while coaching teams in domestic tournaments, is now over a year into the job – the 50-over whumping by South Africa last October was still pretty early on in her tenure.

And while not knockout games per se, England were able to cope with the pressure of T20 series deciders earlier this summer, beating both New Zealand and India after entering the final fixtures of those three-match series locked at 1-1.

Their fielding – which contributed to a group-stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup following defeat to West Indies and then a 16-0 Ashes crushing in Australia months later – has not been faultless at this World Cup but it has markedly improved.

Plus, they have match-winners throughout the line-up.

Opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge leads the run-scoring charts with 282 in five games, including one hundred and two half-centuries; Alice Capsey and Knight have played key knocks in the middle order; Sciver-Brunt, the biggest match-winner of all, is back for the semi-final after missing the last three matches with a calf complaint.

Spin-bowler Sophie Ecclestone looks back to somewhere near her best, while fellow twirler Charlie Dean – who has led excellently in Sciver-Brunt’s absence and appears nailed-on to be her long-term successor – has popped up with big wickets.

The middle-order dynamism of all-rounders Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson has also been a welcome addition. Only Australia’s Georgia Wareham (182.22) has a higher strike-rate than left-hander Kemp (173.07) with right-hander Gibson (163.63) fifth on that metric.

Yes, Kemp and Gibson have not been needed to bat in all games and have only come off once in three innings, belting 39 off 16 and 30 off 11 respectively against Scotland. But their presence at six and seven lengthens the line-up and offers the late-innings boundary-hitting ability to take a good score to an excellent one.

Any issues for England?

That’s not to say everything is running smoothly for England.

While results have been flawless – Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, West Indies and reigning champions New Zealand all knocked off – opener Jones’ form of just 34 runs across four innings since an opening 53 versus Sri Lanka has not been.

Firecracker Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp – who took five wickets when her side demolished England in the 50-over World Cup semi-final last autumn – may be licking her lips.

New-ball bowlers Linsey Smith and Lauren Bell have taken a bit of tap at times, too, and not bagged as many wickets (four each) as we may have expected, although towering seamer Bell has been terrific in the last couple of matches.

Both players will need to be at their best against South Africa as anything loose will be latched on to by the elegant Wolvaardt and the powerful Tazmin Brits – former javelin thrower Brits hammered 114 not out from 69 balls against Netherlands last week.

There is also no getting away from the fact England had a right touch with the group they were placed in, avoiding Australia, India and South Africa, the three other strongest teams in the tournament. That meant their pool campaign was fairly routine.

South Africa, in contrast, have had a number of high-stakes matches, knowing after an opening-game drubbing by Australia that any further slip-ups could prove terminal.

They have not always been vintage but overcame India in a crunch clash and are surely more battle-hardened than England.

The Proteas have performed under pressure. Now the big question is whether England can follow suit. Another dream home World Cup final awaits – if they can avoid another nightmare semi-final exit.

Watch England vs South Africa, at The Oval, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 6pm on Thursday (6.30pm first ball). Stream that match – and Sunday’s final at Lord’s where Australia await – for FREE on the Sky Sports App.

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