South Africa - Australia Predictions & Betting tips - ICC Men's Cricket World Cup

Prediction published on 14/11/2022, 16:50  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 14/11/2023 at 19:46

The second semi-final of the 2023 Cricket World Cup will see South Africa taking on Australia on Thursday morning. Both these sides ended level on 14 points during the group stages, but The Proteas finished above The Aussies in the standings due to their superior net run rate. South Africa will face Australia in a CWC semi-final for the third time here but lost both previous encounters. In this competition, the Proteas were in excellent form up to match four when they suffered a shock defeat to the Netherlands. They bounced back well from that with three consecutive victories but were demolished by India in their penultimate group-stage match. While their World Cup record may not be the best on paper, South Africa did claim a 134-run victory over the Aussies in match two. That was also their fourth consecutive win over their old foes in all competitions. Despite that, though, The Proteas are the underdogs in this one, according to the bookies. 

Meanwhile, Australia suffered a very poor start to their 2023 CWC campaign. They lost their first two matches by big margins, and some had written them off from reaching the knockout stages. However, the Baggy Greens have once again shown why they are the most successful side in this format of the game as they came back with seven consecutive wins in the competition to clinch a spot in the final four. The Aussies have relied heavily on their battling lineup with David Warner and Mitchell Marsh at the top of the innings. The two are ranked in the top ten run-scorers in the competition. Adam Zampa, meanwhile, leads the race in the wicket-taking department, with 22 to his name already and a best of 4/8. While they have not beaten this opponent in their last four, the Aussies have incredible momentum behind them and seem to be hitting their best form at the perfect time. Can they overcome the South Africans for a third time in the semi-final of cricket’s premier tournament?