After winning the toss, England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt said left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, who sustained a minor injury near her collarbone during the eight-wicket win over New Zealand in Visakhapatnam, will be playing the semi-final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a niggle. She\u2019ll (Ecclestone) play through anything. She\u2019s one of those players who doesn\u2019t like being on the sidelines \u2014 she\u2019ll be raring to go out there to play. I think it\u2019s about trusting the process and everything we\u2019ve done to get here. We know what we\u2019re capable of,\u201d said Nat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She also talked about putting pressure early on the South African batters. \u201cI think it puts pressure on them, especially with the bat, and hopefully, for the spinners, it\u2019ll be easier to play later on. It\u2019s very different from the wickets we\u2019ve played on before. The Mumbai wicket is quite unique. It\u2019s been interesting throughout the tournament, but I think the surface is really good for the final,\u201d added Nat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The last time these two teams met in the tournament, England\u2019s spin bowling trio of Linsey Smith, Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean shared seven wickets between themselves to bowl out South Africa for just 69 and win by ten wickets co-incidentally in Guwahati.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, Anneke comes into the playing eleven in place of Masabata Klaas, which means South Africa have an extra batter in the mix. \u201cProbably would have looked to have a bowl as well. But then again, runs on the board in a semi-final can be pretty good too, so not too unhappy about it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cJust felt like it\u2019s something we\u2019ve needed (an extra batter) in the last couple of games. Would have been nice to have someone there at the end to bat with for a bit longer. Anneke\u2019s been amazing for us, and we still have plenty of bowling options with Sune and Dercksen able to bowl as well. Hopefully, more runs in it today, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s all about winning. That\u2019ll be the main goal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Playing XIs<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cJust felt like it\u2019s something we\u2019ve needed (an extra batter) in the last couple of games. Would have been nice to have someone there at the end to bat with for a bit longer. Anneke\u2019s been amazing for us, and we still have plenty of bowling options with Sune and Dercksen able to bowl as well. Hopefully, more runs in it today, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s all about winning. That\u2019ll be the main goal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nonkululeko Mlaba<\/p>\r\n\r\n