South Africa Women vs Australia Women, ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2020, Today Match Prediction 05 Mar 2020

rsaw vs ausw Match Prediction & Analysis

Defending champions Australia sealed their spot in the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup with a narrow four-run victory in a virtual quarterfinal where they knocked New Zealand out at the Junction Oval. With that win, Australia ended Group A at the second spot with 6 points and a net run rate of +0.971. They will now be facing South Africa Women in the semi-finals and hoping to ensure their second straight final.

Meanwhile, South Africa Women topped their group after their last game against the West Indies was washed out. They won all their matches in the league stage and ended with a net run rate of +2.226. They have looked like a solid all-around unit should pose a good challenge to host Australia.

TEAMS PREVIEW

South Africa Women Preview

There hasn’t been one standout performer for South Africa Women in this tournament and they have delivered as a team. Their batting, though, hasn’t been the greatest. In all the 3 matches they played in the league stage, their highest-scorer was Lizelle Lee with 109 runs. None of the other batters have gone past 100 runs yet. However, they do have talent. Marizanne Kapp is the experienced figure in the team and her presence would be vital for the middle-order.

Laura Wolvaardt, who top-scored for the team with a terrific 53 in the last match against Pakistan Women, would be looking to contribute again. Another batter to watch out would be Mignon du Preez who has had a quiet tournament so far but can be really destructive on her day. It is South Africa’s bowling that has won them games.

Shabnim Ismail has led the way with 5 wickets already and has been ably supported by captain Dane van Niekerk (4 wickets) and Sune Luus (3 wickets). Nonkululeko Mlaba has done a decent job but will be looking to take early wickets in the semi-final.

South Africa Women Predicted Playing XI:

Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk (c), Trisha Chetty (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus, Lizelle Lee, Ayabonga Khaka, Laura Wolvaardt, Nonkululeko Mlaba

South Africa Women Actual Playing XI:

Laura Wolvaardt, Sune Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Shabnim Ismail, Lizelle Lee, Trisha Chetty, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nadine de Klerk, Mignon du Preez

Australia Women Preview

While Australia Women will be ecstatic with their entry into the semi-finals, they have also been dealt a major blow ahead of the big game. Australia's star allrounder Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after enduring a right hamstring injury while fielding during the game against New Zealand. This is a body blow and may affect the team’s chances ahead. However, they still have enough star power in the team.

Beth Mooney, who is fresh from a match-winning knock of 60 against New Zealand, would be looking to continue her superb form in the tournament. Then there is opener Alyssa Healy (143 runs in 4 matches), along with captain Meg Lanning and Ashleigh Gardner, who is expected to make an impact.

As for their bowling, Australia has relied on Megan Schutt (7 wickets) and Jess Jonassen (6 wickets) to do the job for them so far in the tournament. In the last game, leg spinner Georgia Wareham produced a terrific spell of 3-28 and could be the ace in the pack for Australia in the semi-finals again.

Australia Women Predicted Playing XI:

Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner, Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes, Delissa Kimmince, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt

Australia Women Actual Playing XI:

Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Megan Schutt, Jess Jonassen, Sophie Molineux, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Delissa Kimmince, Georgia Wareham

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground should be a good T20I surface. It is usually hard initially and the ball comes nicely on to the bat. However, due to the recent rains, the pitch must have softened a bit. Seam bowlers will hence enjoy and spinners should get more purchase. Some rains and thunderstorms are expected at Sydney on the day of the game so we may have a truncated semi-final.

Venue Details

The iconic Sydney Cricket Ground has been witness to some truly great T20I matches. It has generally been an even surface for both the batsmen and the bowlers but in T20Is, it does tend to favor batsmen more. The highest total achieved on the venue is a massive 221-5 by Australia against England in 2007. For this game, a total of 160 by the team batting first could be a match-winning one.

Toss: To Bat

The team winning the toss will be looking to bat first and put on a healthy total. This is a big knock-out game and chasing might be a risky endeavor.