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England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt returned from a calf injury to score a blistering 75 off 47 balls and lead England to a 40-run victory over South Africa in the Women's T20 World Cup semi-final at the Oval on Thursday.
The win sends England to Lord's on Sunday to face Australia in the final, according to Yahoo Sports. Sciver-Brunt had missed England's last three group stage matches with the injury, and her return came at a critical moment.
England were struggling early, reduced to 23 for 3 in just the fourth over by South African opening bowlers Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail. Sciver-Brunt came together with former captain Heather Knight and the two rebuilt the innings entirely. They put on 133 runs together, with Knight contributing 58, before both departed in the penultimate over. England finished on 169 for 5.
Sciver-Brunt described the emotional weight of the occasion after the match. "I was very nervous going in and quite emotional about it yesterday. The occasion and what we've been able to do as a team, I was trying to live up to the three games that I missed and trying to have an impact as a leader and a cricketer. I managed to put those thoughts to bed when the warm-up started. I'm just so excited and proud of what I've been able to do."
South Africa started their chase well, with Tazmin Brits and captain Laura Wolvaardt putting on 43 runs in the powerplay. But the dismissal of Wolvaardt proved to be the turning point. One ball after lifting Linsey Smith for four over mid-on, Wolvaardt tried the same shot again and was acrobatically caught by Sophie Ecclestone. Wolvaardt had nearly knocked England out of the last ODI World Cup at the semi-final stage on her own, making her wicket especially significant.
Ecclestone took another key catch to dismiss Suné Luus, and Sciver-Brunt herself held on to a catch to remove Brits for 51. That wicket ended South Africa's remaining hopes, and England coasted to a 40-run victory from there.
England's fielding has drawn criticism in recent World Cup campaigns and during Ashes series, but it was sharp throughout this match.
Sunday's final carries historical weight on both sides. England have won every women's World Cup they have played on home soil. However, all three previous Women's T20 World Cup finals between England and Australia have been won by Australia. One of those records will end at Lord's this weekend. Sciver-Brunt played at Lord's nine years ago in an ODI World Cup final, top-scoring in a victory over India.
