Proteas finish top of Group B after Sydney washout; England end up second and will face India in Thursday's semi-finals
Tuesday 3 March 2020 12:59, UK
South Africa will play Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals after the point they earned from Tuesday's washout against West Indies ensured they finished ahead of England and topped Group B.
The Proteas - who have now qualified for the last four of the T20 World Cup for just the second time - won their first three games, including a six-wicket victory over Group B runners-up England.
But Dane van Niekerk's side were thwarted in their bid for a fourth victory from four after rain in Sydney caused their game with West Indies to be abandoned without a ball bowled.
The point South Africa claimed meant they leapfrogged England and, by dint of topping their group, will now advance to the final should Thursday's semi-final against hosts, defending champions and Group A runners-up Australia at the SCG be rained off with, no reserve day scheduled.
South Africa will play Australia from 7.30am on Sky Sports Cricket, after England battle Group A winners India from 3.30am on the same channel.
Australia will be without star all-rounder Ellyse Perry with the 29-year-old to miss the rest of the tournament with the right hamstring injury she sustained in Monday's win over New Zealand.
Speaking on the semi-final against the Southern Stars, South Africa's Chloe Tryon said: "We're pleased with our group stage, we've played really good cricket and the maturity we've shown has been nice to see.
"There's going to be a lot of emotion around the semi-final, it's Australia's home ground and we know there's going to be a big crowd. We've just got to stay in our space.
"We want to play the world champions, and we've wanted to play them for a while now. To face them in a semi-final is probably the biggest game for us."
Tuesday's abandonment in Sydney meant West Indies finished third in Group B, above Pakistan on net run-rate, having recorded only a solitary victory, over bottom-placed Thailand.
West Indies vice-captain Anisa Mohammed said: "We'd have liked to have the chance to prove ourselves and we're playing South Africa in a couple of months, so we'd liked to have gone into that competition with a win.
"There are some positives from the tournament - we fielded well and looked good as a bowling unit but going back we're going to have to work on our batting. Players have to pick themselves up and as much as management can give advice, it's up to the players to perform on the day."
Watch the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals live from 3.30am on Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket.
