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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. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the contest.
Australia topped Group A, ending their group-stage campaign with a close win against India despite losing skipper Alyssa Healy due to an injury. Led by all-rounder Tahlia McGrath, they'll look to keep the momentum going and get past the Proteas, against whom they have a great head-to-head record.
However, South Africa will be quietly confident of their chances in this match. Their bowling unit is firing on all cylinders, they're fielding well, and their top order is scoring runs for fun. They lost to Australia in the finals of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, and they'll be out for revenge in this one.
On that note, let's look at the top three Dream11 captaincy picks.
#3 Beth Mooney (WK - AUS)
Australia's keeper-batter Beth Mooney will look to get back among the runs in this crucial semi-final against South Africa after getting dismissed cheaply in the last match against India.
She loves batting against South Africa, aggregating a whopping 289 runs in six innings against them, averaging 72.25 and scoring at a strike rate of 127.87. That includes an unbeaten 53-ball 74 that she scored in the last T20 World Cup final against South Africa which helped Australia lift the title and earned her the POTM award.
With her wicketkeeping providing her another source of points, Beth Mooney is a solid Dream11 captaincy contender on what should be a decent batting wicket.
#2 Marizanne Kapp (ALL - SA)
South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp is a quality Dream11 captaincy option whenever she plays, more so in this fixture. She has enjoyed this World Cup so far, scoring 82 runs in three innings, averaging 41, and scoring at a strike rate of 151.85. She has also been on the money with the ball, picking up four wickets at a miserly economy rate of 3.78.
She is the talisman for South Africa and her points potential knows no bounds. Australia's new opening pair hasn't looked the most solid and there are wickets to be had for Kapp, especially with the new ball. And on a quality batting track, she could pile on the runs later on in the innings as well.
All in all, she's a stellar Dream11 captaincy pick.
#1 Ashleigh Gardner (ALL - AUS)
Ashleigh Gardner has been a lethal weapon for Australia with both bat and ball for quite some time now. The all-rounder is ranked third on the ICC T20I All-Rounder Rankings and has enjoyed a fruitful tournament so far with the ball, picking up six wickets. However, she'd want to do more with the bat, with only one double-digit score in four innings.
She has batted at No. 6 at this tournament, and that has affected her run-scoring prospects a bit, but against a quality bowling lineup like South Africa's, Australia's batting will be tested and Gardner could be brought to the crease earlier than she has been in this tournament.
She's also bowling in very dangerous phases of the game, both with the new ball and at the death. If South Africa looks to accelerate, she could add to her wickets tally.
She's a player with a very high points ceiling and is a powerful Dream11 captaincy option.
