Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Predicting 3 players who will take most wickets in SA-W vs ENG-W match
The second semifinal match of the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 will take place on Friday (February 24) in Cape Town, where South Africa Women will square off against England Women. The winner will challenge defending champions Australia Women for the trophy on Sunday.
South Africa Women did not have the best outing in the group stage. They won only two of their four matches but sneaked into the semifinals because of a superior net run rate. Despite having home advantage, the Sune Luus-led outfit lost their matches against Australia Women and Sri Lanka Women.
On the other side, England Women were quite dominant in their group. Playing under the leadership of Heather Knight, they recorded four wins in four games. They defeated India Women, Ireland Women, Pakistan Women and West Indies Women to book a place in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 semifinals.
Both teams will be keen to make it to the final this year after crashing out of the semifinals in the previous edition. The conditions in Cape Town assist the batters, which is why the team that bowls and fields better will have a higher chance of winning.
Speaking of bowling, here are the three players who could scalp the highest wickets in today's Women's T20 World Cup 2023 match.
#1 Sophie Ecclestone, England Women
England Women's left-arm spin bowler Sophie Ecclestone has given the batters a tough time in the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup 2023. She was instrumental in her team's success during the group stage as she picked up a couple of three-wicket hauls and ended with eight wickets in four matches.
Ecclestone has also maintained a miserly economy rate of 4.14 in her last nine T20I matches. Looking at her numbers, it should not be a surprise if the England Women's star destroys the South Africa Women's batting lineup today.
#2 Charlie Dean, England Women
Another England Women's spinner on the list is Charlie Dean. She is a right-arm off-spin bowler. In her last match at Newlands, Dean returned with figures of 2/28 against Pakistan Women.
Dean has scalped 15 wickets in her last eight T20I matches, and her economy rate in those games has been around six. Along with Sophie Ecclestone, Dean should be among the top wicket-takers in today's match.
#3 Marizanne Kapp, South Africa Women
South Africa Women's all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has been the leading wicket-taker for her team in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023. She bagged seven wickets in four group stage matches.
Kapp took at least one wicket in each match and also maintained a brilliant economy rate of 4.65 runs per over. In her last outing at Newlands, the medium pacer bowled a spell of 2/17 against Bangladesh Women. If she continues in the same vein, she could give South Africa Women an upper hand in the semifinal.