Proteas' players stand for national anthem before their Cricket World Cup match against Australia Proteas' players stand for national anthem before their Cricket World Cup match against Australia. Photo: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP
The Proteas will go head-to-head with Australia in the Cricket World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday for a place in Sunday’s final.
Cricket writer Zaahier Adams looks at five battles that could decide the game to set up a final clash against the winner of the other semi-final between hosts India and New Zealand.
Quinton de Kock v Mitchell Starc
This battle right here could decide the entire semi-final from the very outset. Like Starc castled Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup final to hand Australia the initiative, he will be looking to knock De Kock over early doors. But De Kock got the better of Starc in the opening rounds and will be looking to land a knockout punch of his own. Don’t be late to tune into this epic bout.
Heinrich Klaasen v Adam Zampa
The best player of spin up against arguably the best white-ball spinner in the world. Zampa is the leading wicket-taker at the tournament with 22 scalps and knows the importance of Klaasen’s scalp. The ginger-haired assassin, though, will want nothing more than to assert his authority on a team he has bossed in recent times.
Kagiso Rabada v Steve Smith
There is no love lost between these two, with the pair having shared a few duels over the years. The round-robin encounter had its fair share of controversy again with Smith questioning the television umpire’s decision. Rabada will know that he has the edge on his rival, which will only increase the fire burning inside his belly to keep Smith pegged down.
Marco Jansen v David Warner
Jansen was given a well-deserved rest after a horror outing against India, but the youngster is still the leading wicket-taker in the Powerplay at this World Cup. He will have learnt from his first experience of Eden Gardens and will want nothing more than to go full throttle at Warner. The Aussie opener, as always, will be up for the battle and it will be a case of who blinks first!
Keshav Maharaj v Glenn Maxwell
How do you plan for a man that has just blasted a double-century on just one leg? If there is anyone up to the task it’s the wily Maharaj. The left-arm spinner has been superb throughout the tournament and will look to outwit Glenn “The Big Show” Maxwell. The Aussie will want to show it was not a once-off performance against Afghanistan.
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