CWC 2023 Semi-Final 2: South Africa wins toss, opts to bat first against Australia

KOLKATA: South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bat against Australia in the World Cup semi-final clash at the iconic Eden Gardens on Thursday.

South Africa will be eying their maiden World Cup final while Australia will be keen to take a step closer towards their sixth title. The Proteas have fumbled a couple of times before, but this time they will be looking to defy the odds and seal a date with India in the final of the tournament on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said at the time of the toss, "We will bat first. Not something I really dreamt of. We have come against a team like Australia in the semi-final. Means a lot to me, there's a game to focus on. Very important to stay in the present. Need to stick to our processes. Got one change, Shamsi is in for Ngidi."

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said at the time of the toss, "We would have batted first as well. They play pretty similar style, unfortunately they have won a last few, we are due. We have been in these positions before. We have a lot of experience. We were not up to our best in those couple of games. But guys have been positive in the last seven games."

Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.