All you need to know for the England-South Africa semi

What's the schedule? 

Semi-finals

Feb 23: Australia defeated India by five runs

Feb 24: England v South Africa, Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, 3pm local (12am Saturday AEDT)

Final

Feb 26: Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, 3pm local (12am Monday AEDT)

How can I watch?

Foxtel or Kayo Sports are the only places to watch the World Cup. The subscription services will broadcast every one of the tournament's matches exclusively in Australia and, in good news for fans, they will be available to watch free of charge via Kayo Freebies.

Kayo's Freebie access for the tournament will include full replays on demand as well as 20-odd minute 'minis' version of each matches.

You can sign up for Kayo here with a free trial available for new users. 

What is the time difference like?

There's no way to sugarcoat this for fans based in Australia, especially those on the eastern seaboard – you'll need coffee, naps and potentially very forgiving employers if you want to watch live.

All finals matches are starting at 3pm local time, which is midnight in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, 11.30pm in South Australia, 11pm in Queensland, 10.30pm in the Northern Territory or 9pm in Western Australia.

Semi-final 1: England v South Africa

February 24, Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, 3pm local

Likely teams

England rested Lauren Bell for their final group stage match against Pakistan but the young quick has cemented her spot in this team and will return for the semi-final.

Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s spot looked in danger after a disappointing display with the ball against India but was given another chance against Pakistan in what many pundits viewed as a ‘bowl off’ between the veteran and Freya Davies. Sciver-Brunt returned 2-14 in that game while Davies, having not played yet this tournament, went wicketless and was expensive, so expect England to stick with the former.

South Africa made to changes to the side that lost to Australia, with Anneke Bosch and Ayabonga Khaka replacing Delmi Tucker and Masabata Klass, and they could well be tempted to stick with a winning combination.

Likely England XI: Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt, Alice Capsey, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell

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

Last time they met

In an official T20I:

England 5-167 (Capsey 50, K Sciver-Brunt 38; Ismail 2-27) defeated South Africa 4-141 (Wolvaardt 41no, Brits 38; K Sciver-Brunt 1-16) by 26 runs at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmginham, August 2, 2022

During the World Cup warm-up phase:

England 7-246 (Capsey 61, Dunkley 59; de Klerk 3-45) defeated South Africa 2-229 (Tryon 65, de Klerk 59no; Glenn 3-30) by 17 runs at Coetzenburg Oval, Stellenbosch on February 6, 2023

ICC T20I Rankings

England: 2nd; South Africa: 5th

Overall T20I record

Played 23 | England 19 | South Africa 3 | NR: 1

Best T20 World Cup result

England: Champions (2009)

South Africa: Semi-final (2014, 2020)

Road to the semi-finals

England’s form line (most recent first): WWWW

England advanced through the group stage unbeaten, starting their campaign with a comfortable seven-wicket win over West Indies and backing up with a four-wicket win over Ireland.

They saw off India by 11 runs in a final result that flattered the subcontinent team, then ended with a bang, scoring a World Cup record 5-213 against Pakistan before restricting them to 9-99.

South Africa’s form line (most recent first): WLWL

It was a bit of a rollercoaster for the Proteas, who started off with a shock three-run defeat to Sri Lanka before bouncing back to beat New Zealand by 65 runs.

They went down to Australia by six wickets, then, needing a win to make the semi-finals, thrashed Bangladesh by 10 wickets.

Form players

Natalie Sciver-Brunt is sitting just ahead of Australia’s Alyssa Healy on the runs tally and has 176 runs at a strike rate of 147.89 from four innings. Her calm head sets the tone for England, while Danni Wyatt could be finding form at the right time, coming off a fifty against Pakistan.

Sophie Ecclestone is one of the world’s best white-ball bowlers and the left-arm spinner has continued to show why this tournament, with eight wickets to her name from four matches, and forms a frighteningly effective combination with leg-spinner Sarah Glenn during the middle orders.

The Proteas have been lacking a standout with the bat this tournament, with star bat Laura Wolvaardt their leading scorer despite having just 116 runs at a strike rate of 93 to her name from four innings.

No South Africa batter to have scored more than 15 runs this tournament has struck at higher than 108 in worrying signs for the hosts.

With the ball, Marizanne Kapp has been the clear standout for the Proteas, and while Nonkululeko Mlaba has only picked up five wickets to date, she has kept a tidy economy rate of 5.68.

So how do they stack up?

England go into this semi-final playing an aggressive, free brand of cricket and are full of confidence under new coach Jon Lewis.

South Africa have overcome the distractions of their early campaign – namely captain Dane van Niekerk being ruled out of the tournament after failing to complete a 2km time trial within the 9.30min time limit – and continue to improve.

On paper, this should easily go England’s way, but the Proteas will be riding a wave of public support and will be desperate to make the final in their home tournament.

Dare I even ask… what if it rains?

The good news is there is currently no rain forecast for Cape Town during the World Cup finals.

But for those with lingering anxieties from that day at the SCG on March 5, 2020, do not fear. There are reserve days in place this year for both semi-finals and the final.

If, however, a match cannot be completed on the reserve day, the top-ranked qualifier (England in this case) will progress.

The rules of this ICC tournament require 10 overs per side for a completed match in World Cup finals.

And what happens if it's a tie? 

If a semi-final or final is tied, the teams shall compete in a Super Over. And if the Super Over is a tie, subsequent Super Overs will be played until a winner is determined. No more boundary countbacks! 

If weather conditions or other circumstances prevent the Super Over from being completed on the scheduled day or reserve day, the teams will be declared joint winners.