England captain Nat Syver-Brant has confirmed her return from injury for the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa on Thursday. live on Sky Sports.
Skaver-Brant re-injured her left calf after featuring in the win over Ireland two weeks ago and has missed the rest of England’s group stage matches against Scotland, the West Indies and New Zealand as a result.
Her absence was not felt as England made it five wins from five matches as they cruised into the last four, but after taking the wicket on Wednesday morning, Syver-Brant will be back in the XI at The Oval.
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“I’ve been through the stages of recovery,” Syver-Brant said. “I worked very hard to get this position. The sports science and medicine team, too. Really, really happy to be here.
“We tested it enough to be comfortable. What happens on the field will happen.
“I’m really happy with where I’m at physically.”
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Charlie Dean has been vice-captain for England’s last three matches, with Sophia Dunkley brought in for Syver-Brant at No.3 in the standings.
Dunkley looks likely to miss out despite top-scoring against Scotland with 57 and then putting on an unbeaten 128 with Danny Wyatt-Hodge in the win over New Zealand.
“I will only say tomorrow (Thursday) at the draw,” Sciver-Brant said when asked about the team selection.
“Our team has been really successful and a lot of different people have stepped up for that, so someone is going to be really disappointed.”
Skover-Brant downplays South Africa’s scars
Scaver-Brant and the in-form Danny Wyatt-Hodge are likely to play key roles at the top of England’s squad.
England face familiar opponents at the World Cup in South Africa, with the Proteas beating them in the last two semi-final meetings – the 20,000 version in 2023 and the 50-over game last year.
“I think the group of players we have here is completely different to previous times,” Syver-Brant said when asked if England had any mental scars from previous meetings.
“I guess there are people who have played in all those games – it’s a world-class team and they’ve been to a lot of finals in previous World Cups.
“This is an extremely competitive team that we’ve had a great battle with over the last few years.
“We are certainly ready for the test against South Africa.”
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The England captain also praised her team’s ability to respond to adverse circumstances, citing her own injury as the main obstacle they overcame with relative ease.
“Circumstances like me walking away with an injury don’t happen all the time – it can take a while to recover from it,” she added.
“As a group we played some brilliant cricket. We showed great composure in such moments.
“We covered a lot of basics or situations that might come up in the game.
“Everyone is very well prepared for what will be a massive game.”
Watch England v South Africa for FREE on the Sky Sports app
Anyone can stream the second semi-final and final of the ICC Women’s World Cup T20 live on the Sky Sports app for FREE and without a subscription. All you need to do is download the latest version of the Sky Sports app onto your phone or tablet and log in.
Download the Sky Sports app at: iPhone and iPad or Android.
Hosts England take on South Africa at The Oval with live coverage on Thursday from 6pm on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix (first ball 6.30pm).
The winners will then face Australia in Sunday’s final at Lord’s. Coverage starts at 2.30pm on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Mix (first ball at 3.30pm). Watch every ball of the T20 Women’s World Cup exclusively live on Sky Sports and NOW.