We are in the business end of the tournament as we have reached the semi-final stage of the Women’s World Cup 2025. In the first semi-final we will see England vs South Africa clashing on October 29th at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. It is the repeat of the 2017 and 2022 semi-finals both of which England won. With Australia facing India in the other semi-final, one can say the face-off is carbon copy of what we saw in 2017 in England.
Lately, we have seen loads of games being washed out by rain especially in Colombo and lately in Navi Mumbai. For starters, both these matches have forecasts of rains. In order to combat that, we will have a reserve day in case of washout on the actual day. There will be 120 minutes of buffer time before we will start losing overs on the game day in case of rain. If we don’t find enough time to pull off a minimum 20-over contest on both days, then the team that finished higher on the points table will qualify for the finals and in this case it will be England.
The stage is set for an interesting battle ahead weather permitting in Guwahati.
Overview
So, the stage is set for the first semi-final as Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England takes on Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa in Guwahati. Two good evenly matched teams are set to face-off against each other. It is a clash in which one team has fond memories of, while the other team has had pure nightmares and would like to forget it. Both teams played their first match of the tournament against each other at the same venue. England bossed the outing then by decimating South Africa in one of the worst days in Proteas’ cricketing history.
Put into bat first, the star-studded South Africa fell like autumn leaves and were bundled out for just 69 in little less than 21 overs. Keeper-batter Sinalo Jafta top scored with 22, while the rest of the batting order collapsed like ninepins. Linsey Smith starred with the new ball and finished with 4-2-7-3. Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean picked up a couple of wickets each, while Lauren Bell scalped one.
In reply, England openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones made it look so easy as they chased inside 15 overs with all 10 wickets in hand. The English unit then got a stiff challenge against Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller. The former skipper Heather Knight, weathered the storm to bail her team out of deep waters and win a cliff-hanger by four wickets.
Up next was Sri Lanka, who gave England jitters, but this time it was the captain Nat Sciver-Brunt who came to the side’s rescue with a century and set up the 89-run victory. Then England were nearly stunned by Pakistan in a rain-curtailed fixture. Having rocked early yet again, the four-time champions were on the back foot with the Women in Green cruising towards the small target set by DLS, only to be revived by the weather gods in Colombo.
England were given a run for their money by none other than the co-hosts India, but managed to squeeze out a narrow four-run win. Despite Knight’s hundred, the Three Lionesses were on the back foot for the majority of India’s reply, who bottled an easy run chase, giving Sciver-Brunt led side a chance to choke down the Harmanpreet Kaur-led outfit in the end.
Having already sealed a semi-final spot, England were not under pressure facing the world champions, Australia, who halted their unbeaten run in a one-sided affair that didn’t look that way to begin with. After getting bashed by six wickets at the hands of the Aussies, England’s next challenge was Sophie Devine’s New Zealand. England never allowed it to be a memorable farewell to Devine as they brushed aside the White Ferns in what was a dominating 8-wicket win for the England team.
England eventually finished their round robin phase in second place on the points table with 11 points from 7 matches winning 5 and losing one while a game ended in a no result due to rain for them. England will be sweating on the fitness of their premier spinner Sophie Ecclestone. She jarred her left shoulder while diving to stop a boundary in the deep against the White Ferns in Vizag. She returned to bowl and picked up a wicket, but went off the field immediately adding to the team management’s tension ahead of the all important semi-final.
Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt had no further updates during the post-match presentation, but did state that it was a precautionary measure to keep Ecclestone off the field.
On the flip side, South Africa finished third on the points table with 10 points from 7 matches having won 5 and lost only 2 games. They came back in an unreal fashion after that forgettable evening in the North East part of India earlier in the competition. It was a complete team performance, with different individuals stepping up in different situations in the next five matches to drive the Proteas to invincibility, before the Southern Stars pulled them back to ground zero.
The woman in golden form this year, Tazmin Brits, came up with a famous hundred to defeat New Zealand by six wickets kickstarting the winning phase for the Rainbow Nation. Then South Africa were nearly done and out against India but Nadine de Klerk’s miraculous finish helped them to a three-wicket nail-biting win, before Bangladesh, too gave them a scare only to be rescued by their senior pros Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon. De Klerk finished things off in style in that game as well, with the Proteas managing a three-wicket win to make it 3 out of 3 after that hilarious start.
South Africa then made light work of Sri Lanka and Pakistan in rain hit encounters in Colombo. While it was a superb bowling display and classy opening batting that secured a 10-wicket win against the co-hosts, it was a sizzling performance with the bat by the likes of Laura Wolvaardt, Sune Luus, Kapp and de Kerk that saw the Proteas score their highest ever World Cup total of 312/9 in an innings reduced to 40 overs, pinning Pakistan to the mat.
With a five-match winning steak, South Africa had already booked their spot in the knockouts. They were given a reality check by Australia in their final fixture. The bad memories of England’s game came haunting back to the Wolvaardt-led side as it was annihilated by a certain spin wizard called Alana King in Indore. King’s 7/18 meant that South Africa were bundled out for just 97. There was no coming back after that horrendous batting display. However, the Proteas managed to pick up three wickets, but those hiccups were not enough to stop a high flying Australian side.
Both teams have a few things in common. Both were defeated by the Australians. Both won thrillers against India. Both were given scares by Bangladesh. Both beat New Zealand easily, Both stream-rolled Sri Lanka. Both played in a rain-hit game against Pakistan. South Africa have a huge score to settle. They were denied the finals in 2017 and 2022, both by England in the semis. In case the Proteas manage to see revenge, this will be their first-ever entry to the grand finale.
The stage is set and only time will tell as to who will win this game and qualify for Sunday’s final.
Head-To-Head
England and South Africa have played against each other in 46 matches in total. England have won 36 times while South Africa have won a mere 9 times. 1 Match ended in a No Result. In the last 10 meetings, it is 8-2 in favour of England with England winning earlier in the tournament in Guwahati only. So, the odds heavily stacked against South Africa and in favour of England.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Barsapara Stadium offers a balanced contest between bat and ball with the average score being around 250 with teams losing 7 wickets per innings. Early in the match, pacers enjoy seam movement and bounce, especially under overcast skies. However, as the game progresses, batting becomes easier, with stroke-makers finding value for their shots. Teams winning the toss are likely to bowl first to make the most of the early conditions.
The weather in Guwahati is expected to remain cloudy with temperatures hovering near 31 degrees Celsius. There’s about 20% chance of light rain, which might cause brief interruptions. Humidity levels could touch 67%, and gentle winds of 6 km/hr may offer just enough swing for the fast bowlers during the initial overs.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Here, we will try and predict the playing XIs of both sides.
England XI: Amy Jones (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
South Africa XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Heather Knight: The former England captain and now a senior member of the side is a dependable player for England. Batting at Number 3, she can control the innings according to the situation and then can take her side over the line or set a good target for the opposition. She can be the glue just like she showed in Indore against India where others can bat around her and go big. She plays the perfect anchor role and much will depend on her in this clash.
Linsey Smith: Linsey Smith was the chief destroyer for England when these two sides last met in Guwahati as he spell blew the opposition away and bowled the Proteas out for 69. Linsey Smith was unplayable as the batters found it tough playing in her. South Africa will have better plans playing her, but this battle that Smith will have with everyone will be key. With Ecclestone not being 100%, the onus will be on Smith to wreak havoc on the Proteas and see how things shape up from there.
Laura Wolvaardt: Captain of South Africa Laura Wolvaardt is in decent touch and she opens the batting for the Proteas Women. She will hope and be expected to give the team a solid start in the powerplay as she can lay the platform for the others. She also has the game to go big and score daddy hundreds and she would love to do that in this game against England. She will have to play the new ball well even of Linsey Smith and then take it from there.
Nadine de Klerk: South Africa’s designated finisher Nadine de Klerk has a huge role to play for South Africa in the end overs. The all-rounder is handy with the ball as well taking crucial wickets, but she has really shone with the bat with her knocks against India and Bangladesh noteworthy, India in particular where she won the game out of nowhere. Nadine has the shots and can play with the tail and finish games off. She will be expected to do the same when these two sides meet in a crucial encounter.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It is a semi-final and whoever plays better on the day will win this clash for sure. But looking at the pedigree of the sides, current form and on paper, we reckon England will start as slight favourites to book their place in the final. The rain has to stay away from Guwahati as well to ensure uninterrupted game. South Africa can surprise us especially if Sophie Ecclestone does not play, but at this stage, England marginally ahead in the contest.
Let’s see how this game unfolds in Guwahati as we hope the rain stays away from the North East. It should be fun and a cracker as well.
Also Read: ICC Women’s ODI WC 2025: Amy Jones Ends Kiwis Journey