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Australia and South Africa face off in the first semi-final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday, October 17, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This fixture is a rematch of the final of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, where Australia clinched a 19-run win.
Australia had a perfect group stage, winning four out of four games, but will be without skipper Alyssa Healy, who sustained an injury in the game against Pakistan. Tahlia McGrath led the side well in their win against India, and they'll be looking to carry that form into this match.
South Africa, meanwhile, was watching on with bated breath as the West Indies took on England and would've been relieved to go through to the semis. They've played some good cricket with all departments firing, and if they can turn up in this match, they have a good chance of winning the World Cup.
Let's now look at the top three Dream11 differential picks for this match.
#3 Sune Luus (ALL) (SA)
South Africa's former captain and all-rounder Sune Luus will play a crucial role if they are to go on and win this tournament. The 28-year-old hasn't been required to do much at this World Cup and in the one match she got an opportunity against Scotland, she made a handy 13-ball 18, also picking up the wicket of Lorna Jack-Brown with her leg spin.
However, against Australia, the Proteas batting order will be tested and Luus is most likely to come out to the middle much earlier, giving her plenty of time to settle in and score runs. She is one of the best players of spin in the South African side, and that should serve her well against the likes of Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, and Ashleigh Gardner.
She could also bowl a couple of overs and chip in with a breakthrough. While not guaranteed points, Sune Luus is a decent Dream11 differential pick with a high points ceiling.
#2 Tahlia McGrath (BAT) (AUS)
Stand-in Australian captain Tahlia McGrath promoted herself to No.4 against India in a move that worked well in hindsight. She stitched a crucial 62-run partnership with Grace Harris to revive the Australian innings before getting out for a 26-ball 32. And while she didn't bring herself on to bowl in this match, she did pick up a wicket against New Zealand.
McGrath is one of the most consistent batters out there and she has a T20I career average of 40.88. On what should be a good batting wicket, she can be relied upon to make a good score with the bat, similar to what the South African openers have done this year.
Given that she can also chip in with the ball, this quality player could be a priceless Dream11 differential if she bats high up the order.
#1 Grace Harris (BAT) (AUS)
One of the most devastating batters in the world opening the batting should be on everyone's Dream11 teams. However, with single-digit ownership, Grace Harris is arguably the most powerful Dream11 differential we've seen in a while.
The Aussie batting all-rounder has one of the highest strike rates in the game, scoring at a whopping 155.28 in T20Is. With Alyssa Healy out injured, she opened the batting against India and is set to do so in this match as well. While she looked a bit scratchy, Harris stuck around and made an important 40 against India, and if she gets into her groove she could produce a massive haul in this match.
While she hasn't gotten that many points so far, she could produce a huge Dream11 haul in this one.
