By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Getty Images.
England are through to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final for the first time in eight years after an impressive 40-run victory over South Africa at The Oval.
They wobbled early on, faltering at 23-3 in the fourth over, but captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an immaculate 75 from 47 on her return from a calf injury which threatened to rule her out of the tournament.
She shared a partnership of 133 from 90 balls with England’s other wise head, Heather Knight, lifting England all of the way to 169-5. Knight, equally as impressive as Sciver-Brunt, made 58 from 47.
And while those two provided almost all of the runs, England’s excellence in the field was an all-round effort.
Their fielding – for so long a glaring weakness – was outstanding.
South Africa made a positive start to the chase through Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits before Wolvaardt fell to Linsey Smith. Brits continued to anchor the innings and brought up a fighting fifty, but wickets at regular intervals stalled the chase.
Charlie Dean removed both Marizanne Kapp and Brits in a decisive spell, while England’s spin trio of Dean, Sophie Ecclestone and Smith combined for four wickets while conceding just 77 runs from their 12 overs to squeeze the required run rate beyond reach.
South Africa, who were well placed at 47 without loss early in the chase, collapsed to 129/8 as England’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding sealed a comprehensive victory.
England will now face six-time champions Australia in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 final on Sunday while South Africa’s wait for their maiden title continues.
The victory also ended South Africa’s recent dominance over England in Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals, having eliminated the hosts at the last two editions.
Brief scores: England Women 169/5 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 75, Heather Knight 58; Shabnim Ismail 2/31, Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/25) beat South Africa Women 129/8 in 20 overs (Tazmin Brits 51; Charlie Dean 2/31, Lauren Bell 2/28) by 40 runs.