Do not miss SA v England

DO not make any plans that might get in the way of you watching England’s innings against South Africa in their Women’s World Cup semifinal in Bristol today.

That the contest will be a clash between England’s batsmen and South Africa’s bowlers is apparent from a glance at the rankings.

Tammy Beaumont‚ Heather Knight‚ Natalie Sciver and Sarah Taylor – all Englishwomen – are among the top 10 run-scorers at the women’s tournament.

All four have scored a century at the World Cup. Sciver has two hundreds.

South Africans Dane van Niekerk‚ Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail all lurk among the top 10 leading wicket-takers.

Between them they own four of the dozen hauls of four wickets or more taken at the global tournament.

Leg spinner Van Niekerk is the only bowler to take at least four more than once.

She has done so three times in six games.

Another leg spinner‚ Sune Luus‚ took 5/67 in South Africa’s last round-robin game against Sri Lanka in Taunton on Saturday, one of only four five-wicket hauls claimed at this World Cup.

England’s most successful bowler is slow left-armer Alex Hartley‚ who is 13th on the world list‚ while South Africa’s best batsman is Lizelle Lee‚ who is 11th.

South Africa have earned their second trip to the semis in the six editions of the tournament in which they have featured.

The first time‚ in 2000‚ they were drilled by nine wickets by Australia.

But this is a different South African team playing with a different confidence – and planning a different outcome.

Luus said: “Once you get into the semifinals, there is no ‘this is a more superior team or this is the inferior team’.

“I think everyone is equal once they have reached this stage,” she said.

“Both teams have done really well to get there – there is a reason why every team is in the semifinals.”

And‚ of course‚ in the Women’s World Cup final.