South Africa and Australia will meet in the second semi-final of ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 16.
The two will meet in the semi-finals for the third time after the 1999 meeting at Edgbaston ended in a tie and Australia defeated South Africa in 2007 in Saint Lucia by seven wickets.
Australia come into the contest on the back of winning seven consecutive games, with their last win coming against Afghanistan where they recovered from 91/7 to chase 292 on the back of Glenn Maxwell’s incredible double century. They batted well in the entire tournament scoring over 350 on three occasions.
David Warner has been their go-to batter as he has aggregated 499 runs in five games. He just needs one runs to become the third player to score over 500 runs in World Cup twice and second to achieve this on consecutive occasion while Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell has scored 426 and 397 runs. respectively.In the bowling department, Adam Zampa has picked the most wickets of 22 in the tournament. Australia will look to win the game and seal yet another final berth.
South Africa, on the other hand, come into the game on the back of great tournament as they have won seven games too, including one against Australia. When comes to semi-finals, they have never won any of those in four attempts previously and will be eyeing to break the jinx.
From scoring the highest-ever World Cup total to getting bowled out for their lowest total in World Cup sums up their journey. Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock has been in form of his life scoring 591 runs in nine games with four centuries to his name, while Rassie van der Dussen has scored 442 and Aiden Markram 396. In the bowling department, Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen have picked 18 and 17 wickets respectively.
South Africa vs Australia Head-to-Head:
In 109 matches played between the two teams, South Africa have won 55 games while Australia are on the winning side on 50 occasions. Three matches have been ended in tie while one match hasn’t yielded result.
Matches Played
South Africa Won
Australia Won
Tied
NR
109
55
50
3
1
ODI Stats & Records at Eden Gardens:
In 35 matches played here at this venue, the pacers have picked 269 wickets at an average of 34.28 while spin bowlers have accounted for 180 wickets, averaging 32.88. The teams batting first have won 20 matches while the second batting team has won 13 games and one game ended in no-result. The average first batting score here is 240.
Matches Played
35
Won Batting First
21
Won Batting Second
13
Average First Innings Score
240
Highest Team Totals
404
Lowest team Totals
83
Match Won after winning toss
20
Match Won after losing toss
14
Highest Successful Chase
317
Tied
0
NR
1
X-Factor for South Africa vs Australia:
Australia: David Warner
When comes to big matches, David Warner will be the key batter for Australia. He has scored 499 runs in this tournament in eight games with two consecutive hundreds and will be the key factor to tackle an in-form South Africa.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock has come all guns blazing in this tournament, aggregating 591 runs in nine games. He has scored the most runs by a South African batter in World Cups and will be key factor for their success in the semi-finals.
The Battle of Bigs to Watch Out For:
Quinton de Kock vs Mitchell Starc
In 13 innings battled between the two, Starc has picked de Kock four times in 142 balls with 89 being dot balls. de Kock has scored 113 runs at an average of 28.25. It will be interesting to see how de Kock counter attack’s Starc early on.
David Warner vs Lungi Ngidi
In five innings battled between the two, Ngidi clearly wins the battle with four dismissals in 41 balls with 31 being dot. David Warner has managed to score only 23 runs at an average of 5.75 against the pacer.
South Africa vs Australia Probable XI:
Australia: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis/ Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis/ Alex Carey(WK), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa: Quinton de Kock(WK), Temba Bavuma(C), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi/Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi
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