South Africa’s senior women’s cricket team, the Proteas, will go into Wednesday’s ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal against England at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati determined to avenge their earlier defeat and push all the way to the final.
The match is scheduled to start at 11.30am (SA time).
The Proteas head into this crucial clash having suffered two losses in the group stages — against England and Australia. The results from both games saw them finish third on the log with 10 points.
Australia and England ended the group phase in first and second positions with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Bowling coach optimistic
Proteas bowling coach Dillon du Preez acknowledged the pressure that comes with knockout matches but remained optimistic that the team’s fighting spirit will carry them through.
“There’s always pressure when it comes to knockout games. It’s funny because you actually learn how to get to a semifinal and how to get past it,” DuPreez told Sports Boom.
“With the two finals we’ve already played, it’s definitely a plus for us. If we can get to the final this time, it’ll mean a lot.”
“The focus is to go into the semi against England, break things down, and get to the final, even though I know it didn’t look like it when we played Australia.
“There’s definitely pressure, even on the coaches. The key is to keep things simple — if I’m tense, it’s pointless.”
The Proteas have qualified for the ODI World Cup semifinals twice before — in 2017 and 2022 — but were knocked out on both occasions.
Road to the semifinals
This time, they will be hoping to make history by reaching their first-ever World Cup final. After losing to England, their 2025 campaign got off to a shaky start but soon gained steam.
After defeating New Zealand by six runs (234/231) in their second game on October 6, they managed to edge out India by three wickets (252/251) with seven balls left.
Other results include South Africa defeating Bangladesh 232/7 by 3 wickets with 3 balls left
South Africa lost to Australia 98/4 but defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, India and Australia will face off in the second semifinal, with the final scheduled for November 2.
