All you need to know for the T20 World Cup final

What's the schedule?

Semi-finals

Feb 23: Australia defeated India by five runs

Feb 24: South Africa defeated England by six runs

Final

Feb 26: Australia v South Africa, 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 final. In good news for fans, it will be available to watch free of charge via Kayo Freebies.

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

You can sign-up for Kayo here with a seven-day free trial available for new users

What is the time difference?

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 willing to give you Monday off if you want to watch live.

The final starts 3pm local time on Sunday, 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.

Likely teams

Australia recalled Jess Jonassen in place of Alana King for the semi-final against India and it looked a masterstroke as the veteran left-arm spinner pulled out a clutch over at the death to help seal victory.

If Australia are keen to make any further tweaks to their bowling attack for the final, Annabel Sutherland, Heather Graham, Kim Garth are the options on the bench alongside King.

South Africa made no changes to their side that defeated Bangladesh for the semi-final, and fair chance they'll stick with that same combo against the Aussies.

Likely Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

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

South Africa 6-124 (Brits 45, Luus 20; Wareham 2-18) defeated by Australia 4-125 (McGrath 57, Gardner 28no; Kapp 2-21) by six wickets in 16.3 overs at St George's Park, Gqeberha, February 18, 2022

ICC T20I Rankings

Australia: 1st; South Africa: 5th 

Overall T20I record

Played 6 | Australia 6 | South Africa 0

Best T20 World Cup result

Australia: Champions (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020)

South Africa: Semi-final (2014, 2020)

Road to the semi-finals

Australia's form line (most recent first): WWWWW

Australia advanced through the group stage unbeaten, starting their campaign with a thumping 97-run win over New Zealand in Paarl. From there they were to Gqeberha where they cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh and a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka, before being tested at times during their six-wicket victory over hosts South Africa.

Then, they were forced to scrap for their thrilling, five-run semi-final win over India. 

South Africa's form line (most recent first): WWLWL

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.

With a spot in the final on the line, they held their nerve against an in-form England outfit to seal a thrilling six run win, making history as the first Proteas side to make a World Cup final.

In-form players

Ashleigh Gardner has been getting it done with the ball for Australia, with the allrounder sitting on top of the tournament wickets table alongside teammate Megan Schutt following Australia's semi-final win.

Gardner has also made handy contributions with the bat when given the opportunity, while Alyssa Healy is among the tournament's top run scorers with two half-centuries to her name, and Beth Mooney is finding form after a quiet start, having struck two fifties in her past three innings.

The Proteas have been lacking a standout with the bat this tournament, but star opener Laura Wolvaardt is starting to find her groove as the tournament progresses and hit a crucial fifty in the semi-final, while Tazmin Brits, who top-scored against Australia, hit a match-winning 68 against England.

With the ball, Shabnim Ismail was bowling fire in the semi-final while Marizanne Kapp has as always been a standout for the Proteas.

So how do they stack up?

Australia will go in as strong favourites given they have never lost to the Proteas, but South Africa will be buoyed by their thrilling semi-final victory over England and will have the home crowd behind them.

The Aussies will need to navigate the threats posed by Ismail and Kapp, and will be wary of a Wolvaardt finding form. The Proteas will need to produce their best in all facets, but are certainly capable.

Dare I even ask… what if it rains?

The good news is there is currently no rain forecast for Cape Town for the World Cup final. But if that does change, there is a reserve day in place for Monday. The ICC's tournament playing conditions require a minimum 10 overs a side to constitute a match in the final – if that isn't possible, joint winners will be declared.

And what happens if it's a tie? 

If the 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.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Alyssa Healy (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

Australia's T20 World Cup 2023 fixtures

Feb 11: beat New Zealand by 97 runs

Feb 14: beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

Feb 16: beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets

Feb 18: beat South Africa by six wickets

Semi-finals

Feb 23: Australia beat India by five runs

Feb 24: South Africa beat England by six runs

Final

Feb 26: Australia v South Africa, Newlands, Cape Town, 3pm local (12am Feb 27 AEDT)