Getty Sophie Ecclestone will again be key for England vs. South Africa.
England and South Africa will renew a Women’s Cricket World Cup rivalry when they face off in a repeat of the 2017 semi-final in Christchurch, New Zealand on Wednesday. It was England who achieved victory on that day, but skipper Heather Knight wants an easier time of it this time around.
No game against South Africa is easy, not when the Proteas have been in such prolific form with the bat. Laura Wolvaardt, Lara Goodall and Mignon du Preez all starred in front of the stumps during the three-wicket win over India in the group stage.
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
In the United States, the match (9 p.m. ET start time) isn’t on TV, but anyone in the US can watch England vs South Africa live on ESPN+ right here:
With ESPN+, you’ll be able to stream every match of the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup. It also includes dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three streaming services would cost a total $20.97 per month, so you’re saving about 33 percent:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch England vs South Africa live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
England vs South Africa Preview
England’s attempts to wreck the South Africa order will hinge on the performances of Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean. Dexterous all-rounder Ecclestone took three wickets with her left arm against Bangladesh.
Her performances inspired England to victory by 100 runs. It also helped to have off-break specialist Dean claim her own hat-trick of wickets.
Dean has made the most of her appearances at the tournament by establishing a miserly bowling average, per the Southern Vipers Twitter account:
England will need the same level of performance against a South Africa lineup featuring some heavy hitters. Wolvaardt is leading the way with 433 runs, the most in the competition.
The talent levels of both teams means another close game should be expected. That’s how it was five years ago when Anya Shrubsole struck a last-gasp boundary to see England through to the final.
Knight doesn’t want things to come down to the wire again, according to Raf Nicholson of The Guardian: “It’d be a little bit nicer if it wasn’t as close, because that’s one of the most nervous finishes of a cricket game I’ve ever had.”
Avoiding a similarly close-fought affair will only be possible if the England batting order takes thing up a notch. That’s just what Sophia Dunkley did when she struck a creditable knock of 67 against Bangladesh.
Dunkley is getting runs in different ways, with The CricViz Analyst highlighting the 23-year-old’s versatility in front of the wicket:
A repeat from Dunkley would be welcome, especially against Marizanne Kapp, who has allowed only 45 runs. The medium pacer isn’t the only effective member of the Proteas’ attack.
Shabnim Ismail and Ayabonga Khaka have each taken 11 wickets. Ismail collected a pair of wickets against India and also chucked an impressive 40 dots.
South Africa have the strength in depth in attack to break the England order and leave the result on the bat of Wolvaardt.