Latest News England’s top three and South Africas quicks, both best in class, prepare for semi-final fight Published 2 hours agoon 2026/07/2 Laura Wolvaardt will be keen on finding her touch (Cricinfo) After first semi-final of the Womens T20 World Cup between Australia and West…
Latest News England’s top three and South Africas quicks, both best in class, prepare for semi-final fight
Published 2 hours agoon 2026/07/2
Laura Wolvaardt will be keen on finding her touch (Cricinfo) After first semi-final of the Womens T20 World Cup between Australia and West Indies turned out to be a mismatch, the second has signs of being a far more even contest. Still, with home conditions and unbeaten record behind them, England go in as favourites against South Africa. England dominated the group stage, winning all five games. Their batting has found contributions from everywhere, their bowlers have adapted to varying conditions, and they have rarely looked under pressure. Their top three have scored at a run rate of 8.8, the best in the tournament, mostly thanks to Danni Wyatt Hodge’s superb form. The return of Nat Sciver-Brunt after injury strengthens an already formidable line-up, although Sophia Dunkley ensured England scarcely felt her absence at No. 3. Having fallen short of the semi-finals in 2024, England now have what feels like their best opportunity to reclaim the T20 World Cup on home soil.
South Africa, meanwhile, arrive after winning four of their five group games, but their campaign has lacked the fluency England have displayed. There have been moments of individual brilliance but with a line-up that boasts of several big names like Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Britts and Nadine de Klerk, they haven’t looked menacing. If spin has been England’s greatest strength with the ball, South Africa’s pace attack has carried their campaign. Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka have been among the key wicket-takers, with their pace unit sharing 25 wickets between them – the highest in the tournament – while averaging 18.84, second only to Australia. Their battle against England’s in-form top order could well shape the outcome of the semi-final. South Africa are no strangers to the knockout stages anymore, having been finalists at the previous two T20 World Cups. In 2023, they knocked England out of the T20 World Cup in the semi-final and repeated the feat in the ODI World Cup last year. In both those games, it was Wolvaardt and Brits’ opening effort that sent England packing, and it remains to be seen if they can outdo England’s in-form opening pair this time to make another final
Consistency is her middle name, but South Africa captain Wolvaardt hasn’t hit top form in the tournament yet. She looked close against Netherlands, unfurling her trademark cover drives once she got going, only to fall for a 36-ball 45. Against Bangladesh, she bagged a first-ball duck. Those returns are at odds with the form she carried into the World Cup, having compiled three half-centuries and a hundred in South Africa’s series win over India. As someone with a reputation for always turning up in knockouts, Wolvaardt will be keen on finding her touch. Sophie Ecclestone has quietly gone about another outstanding ICC event. In 23 T20 World Cup innings, she has claimed 37 wickets while conceding just 4.7 runs an over, underlining her remarkable consistency on the biggest stage. While England’s batters have grabbed headlines, Ecclestone has remained the constant with the ball, controlling the middle overs with her accuracy, changes of pace and ability to strike at crucial moments. South Africa’s batting has often relied on one or two players carrying the load this tournament, and if Ecclestone can break those partnerships early, England will fancy their chances of keeping the scoring in check.
England captain Sciver-Brunt is fit to play in the semi-final after recovering from a calf injury. Though she chose not to reveal who makes way for her, Dunkley, who filled in at No. 3, is likely to miss out despite a good run. England (probable): Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell
South Africa have all players fit and available and are unlikely to make changes to their XI South Africa (probable): Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba. (Cricinfo)
Latest News USA beat Bosnia 2-0 despite Balogun red card, enter World Cup last 16
Published 6 hours agoon 2026/07/2
Weston McKennie and Sebastian Berhalter celebrate winning the World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina (Aljazeera) A 10-man United States team (USA) roared into the next round of the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, ending a 24-year wait for a knockout-stage win to keep alive hopes of a dream American run in the global showpiece. In a dramatic high-tempo game in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, Folarin Balogun scored near halftime but was sent off after the break. Malik Tillman then doubled the lead eight minutes from time with a sumptuous free kick. It was a physical encounter where luck was not always on the side of the hosts, with Balogun and Christian Pulisic having goals ruled out, and Balogun dismissed for a serious foul on Tarik Muharemovic that appeared accidental. Chris Brady and teammates applaud fans after the match [Aljazeera] The Americans burst into the game with a barrage of attacks on the Bosnian area, spurred on by the reverberating roars of “U-S-A” by a partisan crowd that came with high expectations. The USA delivered with speed and intensity, with Pulisic back in the team and determined to make his mark, Balogun a constant threat, and Weston McKennie and Tillman showing good form. Victory brought an end to USA’s run of 10 consecutive defeats by European opposition, and set up a last-16 tie in Seattle with Belgium, who rallied from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time. (Aljazeera)
Latest News Belgium stage 3–2 comeback win over Senegal to enter World Cup last 16
Published 10 hours agoon 2026/07/2
Belgium's Youri Tielemans celebrates after the team's 3-2 victory in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-32 match against Senegal at Seattle Stadium on July 1, 2026 [Aljazeera] Youri Tielemans struck a 125th-minute penalty as Belgium rallied from two goals down and defeated Senegal 3-2 after extra time in their World Cup last -32 clash in Seattle to keep alive their title hopes, which had looked dead and buried. Senegal’s Lamine Camara slid in on Tielemans as the ball flashed across the face of goal and conceded the spot kick after a video assistant referee review, with the Belgian picking out the top corner to complete an extraordinary comeback on Wednesday. Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr had given Senegal a deserved 2-0 lead, and they looked to be cruising through to the next round before Belgium netted twice in the final four minutes through Romelu Lukaku and Tielemans to force extra time. Belgium now face the winner of Wednesday’s last-32 clash between cohosts United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the next round in Seattle on Monday. It was cruel on Senegal, who controlled much of the 90 minutes, and struck the woodwork twice, but could not see out the game. They became the fourth African side to bow out in a narrow defeat in the last 32 after South Africa, Ivory Coast, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and will wonder how they managed to let this one slip. Senegal were inches away from the lead when Ismail Jakobs’s cross from the left was parried by Thibaut Courtois, but a stretching Sarr could only steer the loose ball onto the post. When the African side did break the deadlock in the 25th minute, it was no surprise. Sadio Mane’s cross was headed goal-wards by Sarr, but his effort came off the post again. This time, the loose ball fell kindly for Diarra, and he side-footed home from 7 yards. Maxim De Cuyper forced an excellent save from Senegal goalkeeper Mory Diaw with a shot that looked to be heading into the top corner as Belgium trailed at the break. Belgium brought on Lukaku for the ineffective Charles De Ketelaere at half-time, but were soon 2-0 down. A stunning long pass from Moussa Niakhate was brilliantly controlled on the chest by Sarr, who held off two defenders before thundering the ball into the net in the 51st minute. Belgium struggled to create clear-cut chances until the final five minutes, and almost out of nowhere turned the game on its head by netting twice in three minutes. First, Lukaku turned the ball in at the near post from Thomas Meunier’s low cross, and Leandro Trossard’s ball into the box from deep was headed into the net by Tielemans. Those two had been involved in a heated exchange earlier in the match, but it was all smiles and hugs when the equaliser went in, before Tielemans was central again in the winner. (Aljazeera)