South Africa to bat first against Australia in World Cup semis

Online Desk

South Africa will bat first against Australia in the second semifinals of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Thursday.

Winning the toss, South African captain Temba Bavuma elected to bat first.

He said, “We will bat first. Not something I really dreamt of. We have come against a team like Australia in the semi-final. Means a lot to me, there's a game to focus on. Very important to stay in the present. Need to stick to our processes. Got one change, Shamsi is in for Ngidi.”

This match is very important for South Africa as the team is desperate to play the World Cup final for the first time. Earlier, South Africa played semifinals four times but never qualified for the World Cup final.

However, this time, South Africa is in a very good position. They played nine games in the tournament and won seven matches.

On the other hand, Australia is in their regular form. They beat Afghanistan and Bangladesh in their last two matches with heavy control.

South Africa Playing XI: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Australia Playing XI: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul