Australia Women vs South Africa Women, ICCW T20 WC 2023, Today Match Prediction 26 February 2023

ausw vs rsaw Match Prediction & Analysis

Australia will take on South Africa in the Women’s T20 World Cup final at Newlands in Cape Town. This will be the first-ever final appearance for South Africa Women.

Sune Luus led the hosts to a thrilling win over England Women in the semi-final with the bowlers staging a comeback for the side. In their last encounter, Australia restricted South Africa Women to just 124 runs bowling first in the group stage match.

South Africa Women have bounced back since then with the openers scoring back-to-back fifties in the last two games. Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits will be the key players for South Africa in the final.

Their form is crucial for South Africa to reach a competitive total in Cape Town. It is a good batting deck at Newlands and both teams have solid batters to make the most of these conditions. An exciting contest is on the cards as Australia Women eye their 4th consecutive T20 World Cup title.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Australia Women Preview

Meg Lanning will be relieved after her bowlers ensured India Women didn’t get away with the game in the semi-final. A run-out and two key breakthroughs from Darcie Brown put Australia in the driver’s seat.

It was Australia’s first match at Newlands in this tournament. Prior to the semi-final, the Aussies played most of their games on a bowling-friendly surface in Gqeberha.

Their bowlers must now know what to expect from the pitch at Newlands and will be better prepared for the final. The opposition’s openers have scored two consecutive fifties on this ground in their last two outings.

Jess Jonassen and Darcie Brown shined with the ball in the last match. Aussies will also need their star bowler Megan Schutt to make a comeback and strike with the new ball early in the game. 

Unlike India, the Proteas don’t have a strong late middle order. The real-impact players are in the top 3. If the Australian new-ball bowlers manage to strike early blows, they will be right on top of the game. In addition to Healey and Mooney at the top, Australia have some reliable batters in the middle like Ashleigh Gardner and Talia McGrath.

The all-rounders are their real strength. It was McGrath who led the Australian comeback against South Africa in the group stage match after Australia were 3 down 40 in 7 overs.

Australia Women Predicted Playing XI:

Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Ashleigh Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown

South Africa Women Preview

They were not the favourites to reach the final. They finished their group stage with just 4 points from 2 wins. They qualified for the semis on account of a better NRR than the number 3 placed New Zealand Women.

But now they are in the knockouts and they have already made their presence felt. South Africa Women carried their momentum from the 10-wicket win against Bangladesh into the semi-final.

And it was just the right start the hosts needed in an all-important game as the semi-final. Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, and Marizanne Kapp will once again be the key players in this batting lineup.

Now, it would be a little too much to expect the openers to strike their respective third consecutive fifty. Even if they fail to score a fifty, they are likely to give South Africa a good start and Kapp will continue to maintain a good run rate with her striking abilities.

Sune Luus hasn’t been in great touch and her strike rates haven’t been impressive. She needs to change gears in the lower middle order and step up as a finisher for the Proteas. 

Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka were the star bowlers who derailed England’s run chase. They will be the ones to watch out for along with Nadine de Klerk in the bowling attack.

South Africa Women Predicted Playing XI:

Danielle Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (c), Amy Jones (wk), Sophie Ecclestone, Katherine Sciver-Brunt, Charlotte Dean, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is great for batting as we’ve seen throughout this tournament including the semi-finals. There is some help for the bowlers but it is mostly down to the batters to give their team an upper hand in the match. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 21 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Newlands in Cape Town is the venue for the Women’s T20 World Cup final between Australia and South Africa. Teams have managed to score 175+ runs batting first at this venue quite comfortably. While it hasn’t been easy to chase such a total, the semis were an indicator of how even 170 isn’t a safe score. A match-winning total in this match should be anything over 180 runs.

Toss: To Bat

In this tournament, teams batting first have won 6 of the 11 matches played at this venue. It is a high-pressure game and the nerves could get the better of any team in a thrilling run-chase. Both teams have successfully defended a total on this ground in the semi-finals. They would likely opt to bat first in the final to give themselves the best chance of winning.