ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals: Top five players to look out for when England face South Africa

After considerable upheaval, the Champions Trophy finally has its semi-finalists. South Africa will take on England at The Oval on Wednesday in a match that will decide who will move on to the finals. Both the teams had an exciting group campaign that saw them lose one game each. Coincidentally, both those teams, namely India and Sri Lanka, will contest in the  other semi-final. South Africa suffered a setback at the head of the campaign when they lost Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel to injury. The impact of that setback was heavy as they were comprehensively outplayed by India; but the entry of Chris Morris combined with the return of Dale Steyn turned their fortunes. On the other hand, England have given consistent displays with their batting and their top order looks in excellent shape. James Anderson has been the pick of the bowlers with 8 wickets in 3 matches.

The Proteas have a 2-1 lead over England in this tournament, and they will be hoping that history repeats itself. England will enjoy the support of the crowd and home conditions. Both the teams have individuals who can come into a situation and turn the match on its head. These players will be eager to unleash themselves on a stage that is as big as the semi-final of a major ICC event. Here is a list of five players who are likely to take the spotlight when South Africa face England:

5. James Tredwell

When the tournament began, not many people would have given a chance to the spinners; but the drier surfaces in England have meant that slower bowlers continue to dominate the stage in the shorter version of the game. South Africa are not particularly adept at playing spin, and England would want Tredwell to exploit the conditions to the fullest so that they can be shackled in the middle overs. With Graeme Swann out with an injury, the off-spinner will have the additional incentive of throwing in his hat for the Ashes with a good performance.