ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023: Not in 1999, not in 2007, can South Africa beat Australia in 2023 in World Cup semi-final?
Australia vs South Africa in a Cricket World Cup semi-final. This is not new. It has happened in 1999 and then in 2007. In 1999, though the match ended in a tie, on the basis of better net run rate, Australia progressed to the final. In 2007, the two teams again came face to face in a semi-final and it was Australia, who had the last laugh.
With quite a bit of history around these two teams, there is no doubt that Australia vs South Africa is going to be a cracker of a contest. On November 16, as the two teams will come face to face at the Eden Gardens, the city of joy, only one team will get the gift of joy.
Can South Africa defy all odds and emerge victorious over Australia in 2023 World Cup semi-final? The Proteas will certainly take a lot of confidence from their win over the Aussies in the early part of the league stage when they handed a crushing defeat to the five-time champions by 134 runs.
Head-to-Head
Australia and South Africa have played 109 ODIs against each other since 1992, of which Australia have won 50, South Africa have won 55, three matches ended in a tie, and one match did not produce a result. In India, they have played four ODIs against each other, and South Africa have won all. At the World Cups, the contest is evenly poised at 3-3.
| Particulars | Australia | South Africa |
| ICC ODI Rankings | 2 | 3 |
| Wins in ODIs | 50 | 55 |
| In India | 0 | 4 |
| At World Cups | 3 | 3 |
Performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023
Going into the semi-final, there is not much difference in the performances of Australia and South Africa in this World Cup. Both teams have won seven out of the nine matches. While South Africa dropped a couple of games somewhere in between in the league stage, Australia after losing their first two matches have registered seven consecutive wins. Besides, South Africa have exhibited more comfort in posting huge scores and then defending them, Australia, on the other hand, have looked at ease whether they are defending or chasing the target.
| Match number | Australia | South Africa |
| 1 | Lost to India by 6 wickets | Beat Sri Lanka by 102 runs |
| 2 | Lost to South Africa by 134 runs | Beat Australia by 134 runs |
| 3 | Beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets | Lost to Netherlands by 38 runs (43 overs match) |
| 4 | Beat Pakistan by 62 runs | Beat England by 229 runs |
| 5 | Beat Netherlands by 309 runs | Beat Bangladesh by 149 runs |
| 6 | Beat New Zealand by 5 runs | Beat Pakistan by 1 wicket |
| 7 | Beat England by 33 runs | Beat New Zealand by 190 runs |
| 8 | Beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets | Lost to India by 243 runs |
| 9 | Beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets | Beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets |
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams.
Injury updates
South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma suffered from a hamstring injury during the match against Afghanistan. The Proteas will expect their captain to be hit. However, in his absence, Aiden Markam will lead South Africa.
Playing conditions
Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the encounter between Australia and South Africa. It will be a day night match. The venue will host its fifth and last match of this tournament. The teams batting first have won three of the four matches played here. South Africa have played a match here in this edition of the World Cup. It was against Indian which they lost by 243 runs. Expect a bit of slowness in the pitch that could assist the spinners.
Weather
The weather is expected to be see some clouds and sun. The maximum temperature attained during the day will be 27 degrees Celsius. There will be 64% cloud cover and 2% chance of rain. The wind will blow from the north-northeast.
Players to watch out for
Quinton de Kock: The left-handed opening batter and wicket-keeper of South Africa has scored 591 runs, including four centuries, in nine matches. He averages 66 and has a strike rate of 109.
Marco Jansen: The tall left-arm speedster of South Africa has bowled well with the new ball and has claimed 17 wickets in eight matches. He has been useful with the bat at number seven and has a half-century to his name.
David Warner: The left-handed opening batter of Australia has been phenomenal muscling 499 runs in nine matches at an average of 55 and strike rate of 106.
Adam Zampa: The leg-spinner of Australia has been impressive in the middle overs as he has kept a check on the flow of runs and picked wickets at the same time. He has scalped 22 wickets in nine matches.
Milestones alert
- David Warner (6) needs one century to equal Rohit Sharma (7) who has the most centuries in World Cups and nine runs to complete 1500 runs in World Cups
- Marcus Stoinis needs 13 runs to get complete 1500 ODI runs
- Glenn Maxwell needs 102 runs to complete 1000 runs in World Cups
- Tabraiz Shamsi will play his 50th ODI
Match details
Date: November 16, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Live streaming: Star Sports, Hotstar
All the statistics are sourced from ESPN Cricinfo