Key events
South Africa innings
1st over: South Africa 2-0 (Wolvaardt 1, Brits 1) Smith is a slippy customer. On the money, one keeps low, just two singles from it.
Updated at 15.23 EDT
I’ve picked your email up a little late Guy Hornsby, apologies, but the message still stands: “What a pair these two are, Tanya. Rescuing us again from a perilous position after a brilliant bowling spell from Ismail and Kapp. How many times have they built a Great Escape? If England can get to 160+ it’s very defendable with our attack. You’d hope a sprinkling of Gibson and Kemp’s power could take us past that. This is really in the balance.” It really is -but you feel it is probably Wolvaardt or bust.
What a fascinating innings. South Africa had England down and dirty but they rose from the dust through Sciver-Brunt and Knight, who showed all their experience and nous and ball-striking brilliance. Mlaba’s double strike prevented England passing 180, but it’s a big total to chase on a warm semi-final night at The Oval.
ShareSouth Africa need 170 to win!
20th over: England 169-5 ( Gibson 6, Kemp 1) Khaka it is. One, dot, wide, a single for Kemp. Gibson backs away from the next and can’t get a bat on it – dot. A top edge from the penultimate ball but the two fielders underneath buzz about ineffectively, Tryon eventually dropping it. And the last delivery flies away for four byes.
19th over: England 160-5( Gibson 3, Kemp 0) What can England’s two big-hitting allrounders do with one over to go?
Updated at 15.03 EDT
WICKET! Knight c Wolvaardt b Mlaba 58 (England 157-5)
And the other big dog is back in the kennel. Mlaba strikes twice in two balls, Knight caught at short cover for a wonderful 58.
South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt (left) takes the catch to dismiss England’s Heather Knight. Photograph: Steven Paston/PAKnight looks dejected as she walks back to the pavilion. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 15.22 EDT
WICKET! Sciver-Brunt c Brits b Mlaba 75 (England 156-4)
Sweeps but this time doesn’t make the rope and a sure-footed Brits takes the catch. A fabulous innings after time on the sidelines is applauded on standing feet all the way back to the pavilion.
18th over: England 154-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 73, Knight 58) South Africa are losing control of this, and fast. NSB heaves four then six into the legside off de Klerk. “Laura Woolvaardt needs to take a moment,” says Nasser. “NSB is so deep in her crease that what they think is a full delivery is in the slot.” The highest partnership in a World Cup semi final comes and goes and they change the ball but NSB immediately cuffs it through midwicket for four more.
Updated at 15.02 EDT
Fifty for Heather Knight!
17th over: England 138-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 58, Knight 57) Heather Knight!! Pow – six slog swept over deep midwicket. Four through extra cover. Bring this woman diamonds and pearls. Khaka’s over costs 15.
Updated at 14.52 EDT
16th over: England 123-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 55, Knight 45) Wolvaardt plays the Ismail card now, with five overs to go. Her last over – and she nearly gets Knight who is done by a slower ball and oomps the ball up and just out of mid off’s reach. Knight gets the next to the long on boundary but is lucky to escape for a second time, as deep midwicket can’t quite get to the falling ball in time. The hundred partnership- valuable beyond words – comes up off 76 balls.
Updated at 14.49 EDT
15th over: England 116-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 54, Knight 39) Mlaba brings some control, just three singles from it.
ShareFifty for Nat Sciver-Brunt!
14th over: England 113-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 53, Knight 37) de Klerk pleads for an lbw against Knight – no chance – and then the runs come – a legside full toss is swatted away by NSB, followed by four more ramped casual-as-you-like, and a final four whipped through long on. That is a fifty to remember, the pressure on, England in trouble. They take drinks.
Updated at 14.40 EDT
13th over: England 100-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 41, Knight 36) Mlaba, a swirl of yellow arm. Knight lofts her over the covers and a fabulous dive and scrabble by de Klerk can’t quite cut it off. Some good running between these two – hope the NSB calf is up to it.
Updated at 14.34 EDT
12th over: England 91-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 41, Knight 27) Khaka returns, NSB is quickly front on and flicks the most delicate ramp for four. Another four, this time from Knight, onto the back foot, sliding the ball between backward point and short third again. In the middle Knight and NSB have a laugh, they’re enjoying this fightback now.
11th over: England 79-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 34, Knight 22) Chloe Tryon with her slow left arm. NSB licks her lips and sweeps consecutive fours.
10th over: England 68-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 24, Knight 21) The shadow is half way down the pitch now. NSB hauls de Klerk for four through midwicket. A regular tick, tick, tick of singles but South Africa are on it on the field and there are no runs to steal.
9th over: England 58-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 16, Knight 19) South Africa burn a second and final review for an lbw againt NSB off Mlaba’s first ball – NSB drops to sweep and the ball deviates off horizontal blade into the pad. Some cracking fielding from Derksen saves a couple but a resolute and gun-fire quick sweep from Knight for four gets the scoreboard ticking.
8th over: England 50-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 14, Knight 13) Khaka, running out of the shadows. A very Heather Knight kind of shot, tantalising the fielder the whole way as she slides four between backward point and third. That’s the only boundary, but eight from the over. The crowd are still wired despite the early wickets.
7th over: England 42-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 13, Knight 6) This is a time for wise old heads. Which is lucky, as that’s exactly who England have at the crease. The dangerous, dangerous Kapp continues – no fancy messing about with bowling changes for Woolvaardt. This is actually the first time Kapp has bowled out early all tournament. NSB clips one ball perilously close to the midwicket fielder but, that’s more like it, one shimmies along the ground this time through midwicket for four.
Updated at 14.11 EDT
6th over: England 35-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 8, Knight 4) South Africa, wisely, decide not to review an lbw shout against NSB, despite how much Ishmail likes it. Her next ball rises sharply past NSB’s attempted duck’n’pull. Cracking over, just two from it as the teams take drinks.
Updated at 14.06 EDT
5th over: England 33-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 7, Knight 3) A legbye, a wide and three singles from Kapp’s miserly over.
4th over: England 28-3 ( Sciver-Brunt 6, Knight 1 ) A tiny bit of good news for England with an NSB cover drive for four off Ishmail’s last ball. This SA bowling is unrelenting, threatening. In the dugout, DWH shakes her head.
South Arica did gamble on an lbw review against NSB off Ismail’s first ball which they lost, only for Ishmail to get Capsey lbw a ball later. Oh gosh, and the replays seem to show an inside edge onto Capsey’s pad for that lbw decision.
ShareWICKET! Capsey lbw Ishmail 1 (England 23-3)
Capsey asks NSB whether she should review but gets the shake of doom and must make the long walk home after a four ball. one. Another gorgeous ball from Ishmail that nips back in and skirts into her exposed back pad.
Shabnim Ismail of South Africa celebrates after dismissing Alice Capsey. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.12 EDT
3rd over: England 21-2 ( Sciver-Brunt 1, Capsey 1 ) Kapp has a fire in her belly today. Capsey beaten first ball after coming in, England scrimp a couple of singles from the over.
Updated at 13.50 EDT
WICKET! Wyatt-Hodge b Kapp 12 (England 20-2)
The wicket South Africa wanted! A peach of a ball from Kapp, a roar of triumph from Kapp, and DWH looks back to see splayed stumps.
England’s Danni Wyatt-Hodge is bowled out by South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp. Photograph: Cat Goryn/Action Images/ReutersKapp celebrates with her teammates. Photograph: Cat Goryn/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.18 EDT
2nd over: England 20-0 (Wyatt-Hodge 12, Nat Sciver-Brunt 1) A huge roar for NSB as she strides onto the turf looking determined and she picks up a single immediately. Then runs, runs, as DWH picks up four between slip and backward point, four wides next ball as Ishmail sprays legside this time, then four more, rather lucky runs as DWH chops Ismail into the ground. A great dive on the boundary boards saves another four but then DWH nearly chops onto her stumps from the last ball. Slightly risky play here.
Updated at 13.47 EDT
WICKET! Jones c Derksen b Ishmail 2 (South Africa 3-1)
Oh dear, Derksen only has to shuffle a couple of pigeon steps sideways to collect a slap straight to cover point off Ishmail’s first ball.
Amy Jones trudges back to the pavilion … Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/ShutterstockWhilst Shabnim Ismail (third left, partially hidden) and her teammates celebrate. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PAShare
Updated at 13.47 EDT
1st over: England 3-0 (Wyatt-Hodge 1, Amy Jones 2) Marizanne Kapp has grabbed a wicket with her first ball twice already in this tournament – but not this time as the ball passes safely outside Amy Jones’ off stump. Jones picks up a single bringing run-machine Wyatt-Hodge to the crease. But there are no gimmies and she wafts and misses twice in a row going for the cut.
England’s Amy Jones batting. Photograph: Steven Paston/PAShare
Updated at 13.48 EDT
An early email as the flag ceremony unfurls itself at The Oval.
Hello Dean Kinsella! “Good evening Tanya. What’s the weather there in London? Lovely cricketing weather here in Mayo. This is such an exciting prospect of a game. Hard to call. Saffers have match winners in their side. England’s line-up looks so strong even without Sophie. Let’s do it!”
It looks lovely at The Oval, the sun is kissing the players faces as they file out, t-shirts in the crowd, a balmy 25 degrees in London at the moment. An excellent crowd that will only get bigger as people file in after work – they’re expecting 20,000 through the turnstiles. Big love for the lovely South African national anthem, and a bright and breezy version of our dirge – NSB and Charlie Dean exchange smiles. Here we go!
Lovely evening for a spot of cricket. Photograph: Steven Paston/PAThe South Africa players sing their national anthem. Photograph: Graeme Wilcockson/Focus Images Ltd/ShutterstockThen it’s the turn of the England players. Photograph: Graeme Wilcockson/Focus Images Ltd/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 13.41 EDT
Whoever wins this game has the unappetising prospect of facing up to Australia in the final at Lord’s on Sunday. They thrashed West Indies by eight wickets on Tuesday.
Afterwards, West Indies captain Hayley Matthews had something to say on the “unfair” distribution of money in women’s cricket.
Raf has just hared over to The Oval “from a lovely reception at the Foreign Office to celebrate the Afghanistan women’s cricket team. Richard Gould was there too, and is now here – somehow got here quicker than me, despite horrendous traffic between Whitehall and The Oval (ECB private jet maybe?) It is VERY busy – so busy they’ve closed the road – which is quite an exciting sign!”
ShareSouth Africa XI
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba.
ShareEngland XI
England: Amy Jones (wk), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Dani Gibson, Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.
Updated at 13.11 EDT
Sophia Dunkley misses out
NSB would have had a bowl too. She says the calf is as good as it could be and she’s really happy with where she is. Poor old Sophia Dunkley misses out.
ShareSouth Africa win the toss and will bowl!
Woolvaardt: “I think The Oval is quite a hard ground to defend so we’ll have a bat later. We have room for improvement but I think that’s the exciting thing – we’ve found ourselves in the semis without having fully found our feet.”
Updated at 13.17 EDT
Preamble
Hello London, hello Cape Town – here we are again for another big beast battle between the hosts and the losing finalists in the last World Cup.
England have soared though their knock-out games undefeated, even without Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is back today wearing the captain’s armband. It has been more of a slog for South Africa but they know how to win these games and Laura Woolvaardt is yet to fire fully – keeping her powder dry for today?
We will soon find out. The toss is imminent, let’s go to The Oval.