Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Predicting 3 players who will score most runs in SA-W vs ENG-W match
The second semifinal of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 will take place on Friday, February 24, as hosts South Africa take on an in-form England team.
South Africa finished second in Group 1 with two wins from four games. They beat New Zealand and Bangladesh but suffered losses against finalists Australia and Sri Lanka.
England, meanwhile, were unstoppable in the group stage. They topped the Group 2 points table by maintaining a 100% win record. The Heather Knight-led team defeated West Indies, Ireland, India and Pakistan for a place in the semifinals.
Looking at their performances in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023, England will start as the favorites to win the second semifinal. However, they should not take South Africa lightly as the hosts have plenty of quality in addition to home advantage in this game.
Can the hosts make the final?
🔹 Can the hosts make the final?
🔹 Will in-form England go big again?
The second semi-final looks set to be a classic ⬇️
#ENGvSA | #T20WorldCup | #TurnItUp
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Batters will play a decisive role in this semifinal match because the track at Newlands is great for batting. Here are the three batters who could end up scoring the highest number of runs in Friday's Women's T20 World Cup 2023 knockout fixture.
#1 Natalie Sciver-Brunt | England Women
Natalie Sciver-Brunt is the leading run-scorer in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 so far. She has aggregated 176 runs in four matches at a brilliant average of 88.00 and a magnificent strike rate of close to 150. The right-hander notably scored an unbeaten 41-ball 80 in England's final group-stage match against Pakistan.
Sciver-Brunt has registered two half-centuries in the tournament so far and has been in top form right from the start. If she continues in the same vein, the 30-year-old could help England gain the upper hand in their semifinal battle against South Africa.
An allround performance from Natalie Sciver-Brunt🙌
#ENGvPAK #T20WorldCup https://t.co/bGRJz3pmEU
#2 Sophia Dunkley | England Women
Semifinal matches of tournaments like the Women's T20 World Cup are high-pressure games. Top players are always in the limelight irrespective of how they have performed previously in the tournament.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur played the best knock of her campaign in the semifinals on Thursday evening after struggling to score big in the group stage. She registered a brilliant 52 off just 34 balls against Australia before being run out.
Something similar can be expected from England batter Sophia Dunkley in Friday's contest. Dunkley has managed only 50 runs in four matches of the mega event so far at a sub-par average of just 12.50.
However, she is a match-winner and has aggregated 253 runs in her last 10 matches. If she gets going, she could give South Africa a hard time in this crunch fixture.
#3 Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa Women
Laura Wolvaardt is South Africa's top run-getter in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023.
The right-handed batter has scored 116 runs in four matches at an average of 38.66. Her strike rate is below 100, but she will enter this game after scoring 66 runs off 56 balls in her last game, a 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.
Wolvaardt has plenty of experience, having played 51 T20Is, and she has been a key part of this South African team at the top of the order. She will undoubtedly be key if the hosts are to come out of this match with a win and a spot in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 final.