16 November,2023 01:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Temba Bavuma, Pat Cummins (Pic: AFP/File Pic)
In the second semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2023 South Africa will clash with Australia in Kolkata's Eden Gardens today on Thursday.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma has won the toss and elected to bat first against South Africa.
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The five-time champions, Aussies, did not start the tournament well but later made a strong comeback. They continue their winning momentum by eyeing the path to register the sixth ICC World Cup title under their name.
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South Africa who has not won any of the ICC World Cup titles has been giving their best in the tournament so far. They impressed cricket fans all across the globe by delivering solid performances.
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Proteas' wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock who is making his last appearance in the ICC ODI World Cup has made the tournament memorable for the South African fans, so far. Currently, he holds the record for the most number of centuries in the ICC World Cup 2023 which is four and is the second position holder in the list of leading runs scorers in the tournament. De Kock has 591 runs under his belt.
South Africa will heavily rely on the left-hander to get them an impressing start in the beginning.
Australia's Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh who missed the clash against their arch-rivals England have smashed 201 and 177 runs in the later matches, respectively.
Squads:
Australia squad:
Pat Cummins (captain), Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
South Africa:
Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen.
Men in Blue dominates Kiwis in the semi-final 1
India won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill again gave an elevated start to their side. Later on, Virat Kohli played a historic knock and smashed his 50th ton in the ODI. He is now the record holder of the most number of ODI centuries in cricketing history. Shreyas Iyer smashed his second consecutive century in the ICC World Cup 2023 which powered India to 397 runs.
New Zealand lost the early wickets of their openers. Thereafter, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell smashed 69 and 134 runs, respectively. Mitchell was all set in the middle and was on the verge of taking the Kiwis into the finals, but Mohammed Shami made a breakthrough at the right time by dismissing him for 134 runs. Shami picked seven wickets against New Zealand and India won the match by 70 runs.
