South Africa vs Australia Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2023 World Cup semi-final match?
Can South Africa escape the ghosts of their past? Can Australia summon theirs and let them guide the way? The two teams come into the 2023 World Cup semi-final on Thursday, November 16, with similar intentions but different backgrounds.
The Proteas, the hapless victims of plenty of semi-final exits, most recently in 2015 at the hands of New Zealand, are fighting the good fight against two "c" words - choking and chasing. Their displays while chasing so far have been average at best, with two wins in four matches. Those victories against Pakistan and Afghanistan were far from convincing.
South Africa were utterly dominant while batting first in the league stage and ended up with a total of seven wins. Temba Bavuma still hasn't hit his straps with the bat and is dealing with a hamstring niggle, but the rest of the batting lineup has come together beautifully. And even without Anrich Nortje, the bowling attack has fired.
Australia, meanwhile, are on a seven-game winning streak. While they haven't been their dominant best, with some close victories making that run seem more formidable than it actually was, things are slowly clicking for the five-time world champions.
In the ODI series that preceded the World Cup, South Africa had their way with Australia on batting-friendly pitches. The Eden Gardens, though, will offer a completely different challenge.
World Cup 2023: Can the Proteas counter red-hot Aussies?
Mitchell Starc's waywardness with the new ball could play into the hands of Quinton de Kock, who has smashed his way to four centuries in the 2023 World Cup. Pat Cummins hasn't been at his best either, and only Josh Hazlewood has been a reliable pace option for the Aussies so far.
However, Australia have their biggest trump card in the middle overs - Adam Zampa. The leg-spinner has picked up an impressive 22 wickets so far in the competition and has gone from strength to strength. At a track like the Eden Gardens, he could be seriously tough to counter, even though South Africa have two excellent players of spin in Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen.
On the other side, Keshav Maharaj has been remarkably consistent. But with Tabraiz Shamsi dishing out a woeful spell against India, the Proteas' spin attack might not have enough beef in it.
With Australia's top-order batters clicking at the right time and South Africa having a few fitness concerns, it could be the Kangaroos' day in Kolkata. While the Proteas' exciting brand of cricket and talent in all departments make them a serious contender to win on Thursday, the Aussies are the slight favorites to set up a meeting against India on Sunday.
Prediction: Australia to win Semi-Final 2 of the 2023 World Cup.