Match facts
Who: England v South Africa
What: Second Semi-Final, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
When: Thursday, July 2. First ball 6:30pm local time (July 3, 3.30pm AEST)
Where: The Oval, London
Live scores: Match Centre
How to watch: Prime Video
Officials: To be announced
News and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app
Broadcast info
All 33 matches will be shown exclusively live on Prime Video in Australia, which holds the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events until the end of 2027. There is no free-to-air Australian television broadcast under the deal, however Prime Video have made this tournament free to access – you will still need a Prime account and to login, but no payment is required to watch matches from the tournament. You can sign up here for Prime Video – which includes a 30-day free trial.
If joining the broadcast late, Prime Video offers a ‘rapid recap’ feature, which will bring fans up to speed on the best action so far. Prime Video will also produce on-demand highlights packages after every match along with full match replays, available immediately after the match has finished.
The squads
England: Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Dani Gibson, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Heather Knight, Linsey Smith, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt-Hodge
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk
Possible XIs
England: Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones (wk), Natalie Sciver-Brunt (c), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
The confirmed return of skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt from a calf injury is welcome news for England but it has created a selection conundrum. Sophia Dunkley has been impressing filling in for her captain at No.3, hitting 57, 14 and 49no, but it seems she is likely to be the one making way.
England have otherwise gone through the tournament unchanged, so expect their bowling attack to stay stable.
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Dané van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
South Africa have been mixing and matching their top-order throughout this tournament but seem to have settled on a combination at the business end, with Tazmin Brits returning to the top of the order alongside Laura Wolvaardt, with Annerie Dercksen slotting in at No.3 ahead of former captain Dane van Niekerk at four.
England v South Africa World Cup history
England and South Africa have a curious T20 history. They’ve played 28 times in the format, with the Proteas winning on just four occasions.
However, two of those four wins have come at T20 World Cups, with the first coming in a group stage game at the WACA Ground in 2020, before South Africa knocked England out in the semi-finals of the 2023 tournament at Newlands.
The Proteas also got the better of England in last year’s ODI World Cup semi-final, defeating their rivals by a whopping 125 runs in Guwahati.
They also met in the semi-finals of the 2022 and 2017 ODI World Cups, with England winning on both occasions.
Players to watch
Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Wyatt-Hodge is in red-hot form at the top of the England order, breaking Beth Mooney’s record for the most runs in a single edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup. The opener, who welcomed her first child with wife Georgie in May, now has 282 runs in five matches at an average of 94 and a strike rate of 153.26.
Marizanne Kapp
Kapp has an outstanding record with the ball at The Oval, where she is the leading wicket taker in domestic 20-over or Hundred matches. At this World Cup she has been getting it done for the Proteas with the bat and the ball. Across the group stage she scored 119 runs at 39.66 with a strike rate of 148.75, and she’s leading the wickets tally for the Proteas with seven at 14.14 and an economy rate of 5.21.
Local knowledge
England will go into the semi-final secure in the knowledge they have never lost a T20I at The Oval. They played their final group game at the ground, thrashing New Zealand, and since 2023, have also defeated Australia, India and the White Ferns in bilateral T20Is at The Oval.
South Africa meanwhile will be playing at The Oval for the first time. However, they can lean on some of their players’ experiences at the ground in The Hundred, and Marizanne Kapp has a brilliant record at The Oval.
Form guide
Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, NR: No result
England: W W W W W W W W L W L
England are on a hot streak having advanced through the group stage of the tournament undefeated. They thrashed Sri Lanka first up and while there was a wobble against Ireland, they have been relatively untroubled thus far in what was, on paper, the weaker of the two groups.
South Africa: W W W W L W L W W W
The Proteas’ World Cup campaign got off to a worrying start with a 65-run loss to Australia in Manchester in their first game. Since then, South Africa have steadily gotten back on track, although it has not always been convincing with a close call against Pakistan and a nervy win over Bangladesh in their final group game. They lifted when it mattered most against India, however, securing the win that would ultimately see them through to the semis.
Rapid stats
England have won eight of their last nine women’s T20Is against South Africa, including each of their last four. The last and only time they recorded a longer winning run against them was their first 12 meetings in the format from 2007 to 2016.
England defeated South Africa by seven wickets when they last met at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024 in Sharjah, snapping a two-match losing run against them in the tournament. They will be aiming for consecutive wins in such fixtures since November 2018.
South Africa have won their last two ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals (2024 vs Australia, 2023 vs England) after losing in each of their two appearances at this stage prior to that span.
England have lost two of their last three completed ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals – to South Africa in 2023 and Australia in 2016 – after winning each of their three appearances at this stage prior to that span. They have bowled first in all six of their semi-finals since the first event in 2009.
South Africa have a catch success rate of 80 per cent, taking 16 of 20 chances, at this tournament, the best of any team. Only New Zealand (46 per cent, 11 out of 24) have a lower rate than England (53 per cent, taking 17 of 32 chances) in this category. In addition, South Africa have executed five run outs – the joint most of any team in the campaign alongside Australia.
England have a collective batting average of 44.4 at this World Cup, the best of any team and more than 12 runs than the next best team (Australia 32.3). In addition, their batting dot ball rate (29.4 per cent) is the best of any team in the campaign.
South Africa’s Tazmin Brits (35.7 per cent) and England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge (31.8 pr cent) have scored a higher percentage of their team’s runs when they’ve played than any other players at this World Cup. Brits has scored 228 runs at an average of 57 across her last seven T20I innings, while Wyatt-Hodge has logged 443 runs at an average of 55.4 in her last 10 T20I innings.
Lauren Bell (England) has induced a false shot on 61 of her balls bowled at this World Cup, five more than any other player in the tournament; this amounts to 52.6 per cent of her total balls bowled, the second best rate of any player.
Marizanne Kapp (South Africa) has taken six wickets during the Powerplay at this World Cup, more than any other player; although, she’s taken just four wickets across 10 career T20I innings against England – her bowling average against them (61) is her highest against any side in the format.
Sophia Dunkley (England) has hit a boundary once every 3.2 balls faced during the Powerplay at this World Cup, the most frequent of any player (min. 15 balls faced) during this period; her 67 runs during this period is the second most of any England player behind Danni Wyatt-Hodge (100).
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson
Australia’s Group 1 fixtures
June 13: beat South Africa by 65 runs
June 17: beat Bangladesh by nine wickets
June 20: beat Netherlands by 98 runs
June 24: beat Pakistan by 113 runs
June 28: beat India by six wickets
Semi-final 1: Australia beat West Indies by eight wickets
Semi-final 2: England v South Africa, The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Australia v TBC, Lord’s, London, July 5 (12:30am July 6 AEST)
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video
