Australia and South Africa are all set to clash in the second semi-final match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens on Thursday, November. Both teams finished the group stages with seven wins each and a winner will be facing unbeaten India in the final showdown on November 19.
Five-time champions Australia enter this game after a dominating win against Bangladesh in their last game which stretched their winning run to seven games in the tournament.
South Africa had to sweat it out against Afghanistan for a win in their last match. They have a considerably strong head-to-head record against Australia in ODIs and have registered four wins in their last five encounters as well.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata Pitch Report
The surface at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens offers a balanced surface for both batter and bowlers. England successfully defended 338 runs against England in the last game here while India thrashed South Africa by 243 runs in the previous games. Batters have enjoyed a good record while batting first at this venue and South Africa will be looking to chase later in this game.
Pacers can expect a good amount of bounce with a new ball as fans witnessed in the last two games but it is likely to be a high-scoring clash on Thursday.
Eden Gardens Records and Stats
Total ODI Matches: 39
Matches won batting first: 23
Matches won bowling first: 15
Average first innings score: 244
Average second innings score: 199
Highest total scored: 404/5 by India vs Sri Lanka
Highest score chased: 317/3 by India vs Sri Lanka
Lowest total recorded: 63/10 by India Women vs England Women
Lowest total defended: 195/10 by India vs South Africa
Australia World Cup squad: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green
South Africa World Cup squad: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram (vc), Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Lizaad Williams, Reeza Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Marco Jansen
