The roller-coaster ride of the league stages came to an end. The knockout stages of the ongoing 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup levelled up the intensity. Australia, under the leadership of skipper Sophie Molineux, secured a spot in their 8th ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, as the 6-time champions defeated the West Indies, led by skipper Hayley Matthews, by 8 wickets in the 1st semi-final on 30th June 2026.
The inaugural champions and the hosts of the ongoing edition, England, were up against a charged-up Proteas hunting for their 3rd consecutive appearance in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final.
England received a massive boost with the return of their regular skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt to lead the side in a knockout clash. She replaced Sophia Dunkley in the side. South Africa brought back Sune Luus, replacing Dane Van Niekerk in the starting 11.
The South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field first at Kennington Oval in London. The experienced new-ball bowlers Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were exceptional with the ball for the Proteas in the powerplay, dismissing their top-order and reducing them to 35/3 in the powerplay.
Heather Knight (58 off 47 balls) joined skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt at the crease, and the duo assessed the conditions on offer, weathered the early storm and continued to switch gears through the course of the innings. The pair registered the highest partnership worth 133 runs in a knockout game in the history of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The hosts eventually posted a challenging total of 169/5 in their quota of 20 overs. Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (75 off 47 balls) registered the highest individual score by an England captain in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Nonkululeko Mlaba (4-0-25-2), Shabnim Ismail (4-0-31-2), and Marizanne Kapp (4-0-16-1) were the top performers with the ball for South Africa.
Chasing a target of 170, the South African openers Tazmin Brits and skipper Laura Wolvaardt got their side off to a steady start with a 43-run opening stand. Linsey Smith got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Laura Wolvaardt (17 off 15 balls) in the final over of the powerplay to provide a massive breakthrough for the home side.
Tazmin Brits (51 off 45 balls) struggled to infuse the momentum into the run chase, resulting in the asking rate climbing at a rapid rate. She became the 4th South African to score a half-century in the semi-final but was eventually dismissed soon after by Charlie Dean in the 15th over of the run chase, providing the crucial 5th breakthrough for her side.
The Proteas eventually succumbed to the scoreboard pressure, being restricted to 129/8 in their quota of overs, falling 40 runs short of the target. Nadine de Klerk (14* off 14 balls), Chloe Tryon (12 off 11 balls), and Sune Luus (11 off 13 balls) chipped in with tiny contributions with the bat for South Africa.
Lauren Bell (4-0-28-2), Linsey Smith (4-0-25-1), Charlie Dean (4-0-31-2), Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-21-1), and Freya Kemp (3-0-11-1) were the top performers with the ball for England. The Laura Wolvaardt-led side suffered another heartbreak in the knockout stages of the ICC World Cup tournaments.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt led from the front, coming back from an injury, racing against time to be available for the semi-final. She scored a decisive half-century of 75 off 47 balls under pressure, coming in at number 3, which also earned her the Player of the Match. Her knock included 11 boundaries and a maximum.
England secured their 5th appearance in the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and the inaugural champions will be up against the 6-time champions Australia, led by skipper Sophie Molineux, on 5th July 2026 at the iconic Lord’s, London, from 8 PM IST.
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