The stage is set for the first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final. India Women (IND W) and Australia Women (AUS W) will clash on Thursday, February 23, to book a berth in the final match to be played at Newlands in Cape Town.
Australia have won all their group matches to top group 1, while India have secured their semi-final spot after winning three of their four group matches, finishing second in group 2.
India Women, after having lost to Australia Women in the final of the previous edition of the ICC Women’s t20 World Cup 2020, have a fair opportunity to avenge their disappointment of last time and secure their tickets to the final.
The task is not going to be easy as the India Women head-to-head record against Australia Women is not particularly sparkling. Australia Women dominated India Women to clinch the series 4-1 in a recent clash between the two in December 2022.
Here are all the important details you need to know about the semi-final between India Women and Australia Women:
Predicted 11 of both teams:
India Women: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Renuka Singh Thakur
Bench: Yastika Bhatia, S Meghana, H Deol, Sneh Rana, K Anjali Sarwani, Radha Yadav, Meghna Singh
Australia Women: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning (c), Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Megan Schutt, and Darcie Brown
Bench: A Sutherland, KJ Garth, JL Jonassen, H Graham
Both teams will try to play with their best 11 as the World Cup Final is at stake.
Pitch Report
The Semi-final will be played at Newlands, Capetown. This ground offers a balanced surface for T20 cricket. The average score here is 144, which is tough to chase down in pressure matches, and the pitch advances great help to pace bowlers.
Players to Watch
Australia Women and India Women have some quality players on their respective sides with the capability to turn the game around in any situation.
The 5 top players to watch today could be:
Smriti Mandhana: Smriti Mandhana is an Indian team star who scored her career-best score in the last match against Ireland. She has scored 149 runs in 3 matches in this World Cup so far.
Beth Mooney: This in-form Australian batter can be the biggest obstacle for India. She has scored 78 runs in the last 4 matches, and the eyes of Australian fans will be on her.
Megan Schutt: Megan Schutt holds the fort in bowling and is one of the leading wicket-takers in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2023. She has 8 wickets under her name in the last 4 matches.
Renuka Singh: Renuka Singh is India’s leading wicket-taker in this World Cup. She has taken 7 wickets in 4 matches.
Ashleigh Gardner: Another bowling star in Australia’s side, Gardner is efficiently playing her role along with Megan Schutt. She has 7 wickets in 4 matches so far.
All the sports lovers’ eyes are on today’s semi-final between India Women and Australia Women.
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