South Africa Women vs England Women 2nd Semi-Final Full Commentary

Welcome back for South Africa's reply. The floodlights are starting to take effect. Nat Sciver-Brunt leads her troops out to the middle. Laura Wolvaardt walks out to open alongside Tazmin Brits. England are starting with spin through Linsey Smith. She will look to dart it back into the two right-handers. Wolvaardt is on strike. Let's go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Game on - The last two overs could prove to be the difference by the end of the night. Batting under lights at the Oval does tend to become a little easier, with the ball sliding nicely onto the bat. England would have loved to add a few more runs to give their bowlers that extra cushion, but they will have to make do with what they have. South Africa will be after a steady start to ease any early nerves. The stage is set perfectly for skipper Laura Wolvaardt to deliver. She has not quite set the tournament alight yet, but there would be no better occasion to produce a captain's innings than in a World Cup semifinal. Stick around as the chase is coming up shortly.

A quick word - Shabnim Ismail starts off by saying that they have done a pretty good job in the first innings. She continues that they started really well in the Powerplay, but the way the opposition counterpunched shows us the experience in their team. About their bowling plans in the Powerplay, Ismail says that they knew they needed to utilise the conditions and shares that the ball was definitely moving in the middle. On getting to 50 T20I wickets, she replies that her family and teammates help her a lot to keep going. On being asked about their plan for the chase, she says that it's a chasable score and they have the batters to do the job.

Experienced heads bail England out - After the toss fell their way, South Africa landed the first punch in this semifinal through Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail. If it was the Proteas' experienced pace pair that dominated the opening exchanges, England's senior duo had the perfect response. Reduced to 23/3, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight came together to rebuild the innings. The pair grew in confidence as the partnership blossomed. Returning after missing a few games with a calf injury, Sciver-Brunt was the aggressor in the 133-run stand, shifting through the gears superbly while Knight played the ideal supporting role. With Kapp's quota completed inside the first 7 overs and Ismail left with just one over for later, the rest of South Africa's attack looked short of answers.

England finish with 169 - 15 runs off the last 2 overs, so not the kind of finish England had set themselves up for through Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight, but they have runs on the board in a knockout game. The way they finished with the ball will allow South Africa to take a bit of momentum into the break, as England did seem to be on course to reach 180 when Sciver-Brunt was in overdrive.

Ayabonga Khaka to close out the innings. To add to South Africa's troubles, they have been penalised for slow over rate. Only 3 fielders instead of 4 are allowed outside the inner circle for the final over.

Turning out to be a good over for South Africa. Danielle Gibson walks out to bat.

The 133-run stand has been broken. Freya Kemp is in next.

Nonkululeko Mlaba (3-0-20-0) to bowl the 19th over.

The ball seems to have taken a beating, and the umpires have asked for a replacement. The fourth umpire is out with the box of balls. South Africa will welcome this break to slow things down. The replacement has been picked, and we are all good to go.

Then there were two - Righto, the two giants of the Women's game are back in the Final, going head-to-head in what is anticipated to be an iconic match at 'the home of cricket.' On one side stand England Women, the hosts, champions in 2009 and the team that's never lost a home World Cup Final. On the other side stand the mighty Australia Women, who have 6 T20 World Cups to their name. Both teams have an unblemished record heading into the Final, but there can be only one winner. A blockbuster Finale for the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup is all set, and it all begins on Sunday, July 5, at the iconic Lord's. The match is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm GMT, but you can join us sooner for the build-up to the action. Until then, it's goodbye from us. Cheers!

Nat Sciver-Brunt of England Women - She describes the Oval as a special place to play cricket and says she has loved playing there over the years. It is a fantastic venue, she adds, to show people what it means to represent England and inspire the next generation. Sciver-Brunt says she always had complete faith in England's batting unit. After being reduced to 23/3, she and Heather Knight knew they had an important job to do. She praises the composure they showed, adding that they approached the innings differently from a typical T20 knock. On the pitch, Sciver-Brunt says there was variable bounce throughout. Keeping the stumps in play was important, while cutters and cross-seam deliveries proved effective. She thanks the crowds for their support throughout the tournament, saying the atmosphere has been incredible. Even during the game, she managed to take it all in and is already looking forward to experiencing it again at Lord's. On her fitness, Sciver-Brunt says her calf is feeling good. Looking ahead to the final, she calls it a massive occasion and says playing a World Cup final at Lord's is a dream. Adds that Australia are a hugely successful and immensely talented side.

Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa Women - Wolvaardt, on being asked about her emotions, says that it's a disappointing result, but also says that the English side deserved to win.  On being asked what the difference was, she answers that England were good with the ball and had a big partnership, which they really lacked in their innings. About the pitch, she says that the track was pretty good to bat on as the ball was coming nicely to the bat. Reckons that 170 was a par total and the outfield was lightning fast. On the support in the stadium, she says that she is very happy and grateful for the fans who turned up in the stadium to support them. On their tournament as a whole, she says that they had a decent campaign. They didn't quite find the tempo in the batting unit throughout the tournament, but their bowling and fielding were up to the mark.

Let's now listen to what the two captains have to say...

Skipper returns with a bang - Earlier in the day, Nat Sciver-Brunt was back in the side for England Women, and even though she wasn't 100 percent fit, she led the fightback for her side. South Africa Women had the hosts reeling at 23/3 with Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail breathing fire. However, Nat and former skipper Heather Knight put on a 133-run stand that changed the complexion of the game. Nat was the standout, scoring 75 off just 47 balls, but Knight too struck a half-century. The Proteas pulled things back in the last couple of overs and kept England down to 169 runs.

Another day, another heartbreak - South Africa Women did really well to topple India and reach yet another semi-final, but their shaky batting cost them dearly as it did against the Aussies in their opening encounter as well. Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits did give the Proteas a decent start, putting on 43 runs for the opening wicket, but Wolvaardt gave her wicket away, and things changed. Brits tried to build a few stands and reached fifty, but the wickets just kept on falling, and Brits too got out soon after. There wasn't much fight from the middle order, and South Africa were blown away with ease.

Player of the Match - England's skipper, Nat Sciver-Brunt, is handed the award for her game-changing knock of 75 off just 47 balls. Returning to the side, Sciver-Brunt admits there were plenty of nerves, made bigger by the occasion of a World Cup semifinal. Adds that there were a lot of emotions before the game, but once the warm-up began, she was able to switch on and simply enjoy herself. On facing Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, Sciver-Brunt says they are world-class opening bowlers. Shares that the plan was to nullify their threat early and then capitalise against the rest of the attack. Speaking about the pitch, Sciver-Brunt says there was a bit of variable bounce. Mentions that the idea was to stay strong on the stumps and be clear about the scoring areas. Adds that spending time at the crease made batting much easier, while it was difficult for new batters coming in.

Prolific in the field - England Women had the runs on the board, but it was a gettable target. However, once Sophie Ecclestone snaffled that catch of Laura Wolvaardt, the hosts pounced and they were relentless. It was a well-rounded bowling performance with the spinners having their say on a drying track, and Freya Kemp was simply brilliant with her slower ones. Everyone, barring Danielle Gibson, picked up a wicket, but she did bowl just the solo over. All in all, a performance worthy of sealing a place in the Final.

Back in the Final - England Women have made it back into the Women's T20 World Cup final, and their streak of winning all home World Cups at home is still alive. A completely dominant performance, barring the first few overs of the game, and they have thumped South Africa Women by a huge margin.

Shabnim Ismail walks in at number 10 for South Africa Women. Also, Linsey Smith will bowl the final over of the game.

Ayabonga Khaka is the new batter in.

Sinalo Jafta is in next.