England beat South Africa with two balls to spare at the same stage of the 2017 World Cup, but also lost to Proteas in the final of this year’s tournament group stage play; watch the semi-final live on Sky Sports from 2am on Thursday
Heather Knight hopes to avoid another close ending when England take on South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals.
Heather Knight hopes to avoid another thrilling finish when England take on South Africa in the semi-finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup on Thursday.
The last four clash in Christchurch is a repeat of the 2017 semi-final at the County Ground in Bristol, where England squeezed home with two balls to spare for a two-wicket victory.
Another win over the Proteas would put reigning champions England through to the final again, but Captain Knight wants to ensure they get the job done without going all the way, something that has been a recurring theme in matches during this year’s tournament in New Zealand. .
“If it’s like the other games in this tournament, it will be,” Knight said. “They are a quality team, they played very good cricket this tournament and had a remarkable win against India.
“They are going to be very difficult to beat, I think we are going to have to bring our best cricket and we would love to have the same result as in 2017.
“It would be a little better if it wasn’t so close because it’s one of the most harrowing games of cricket I’ve ever had, reaching a World Cup final at home.
“So, I hope it’s not a thriller, but I’m sure there will be some twists and turns.”
Knight is aiming to get revenge on South Africa for the group stage defeat they inflicted on England two weeks ago, where Laura Wolvaardt’s 77 set them on course to chase a target of 236 in the final.
Wolvaardt, the leading run-scorer at this year’s World Cup, was one of the players England missed out on catches on the field as they went down to a third straight loss in the match at Mount Maunganui.
Since then, though, the champions have reinvigorated their campaign and won four in a row to book a place in the semi-final, with Knight impressed by the way the team responded to those setbacks and tackled mistakes that were proving costly.
“He hasn’t been panicking,” Knight said. “Obviously we were very disappointed and frustrated with how things had gone, but it was important to realize that there was still a good chance we could qualify.”
“Also, realizing that there were a lot of things that hadn’t gone our way in those close games were things that were within our control. Trying to find a way to improve those things, trying to get people to a little bit better place. and keep things pretty positive, and try to take one game at a time.
“It’s been quite successful and obviously getting back into the habit of winning has also been very important for us.”
“After a tough series of Ashes, we had lost the habit of winning and what it takes to get over the line in those tight games. Fortunately, we managed to pick that up at the key moment and keep going.” a run in the last few games.”
Victory over South Africa would allow England to face either the West Indies or their old rivals Australia, the other two teams that have beaten Knight’s team in this tournament, in Sunday’s final.
However, Knight and her players come into the knockout stages with nothing to fear and the 31-year-old is delighted with the position England find themselves in after a rocky start to the World Cup.
“If you had given me this situation two weeks ago, I would have bitten your hand off,” Knight said. “It’s been a remarkable turnaround and a credit to everyone in the group.
“I think it shows the character we have in this group to bounce back after a pretty poor start and qualify.
“I feel like we’re peaking at the right time, hopefully, and I’m looking forward to getting started on Thursday.”
