England 169 for 5 (Sciver-Brunt 75, Knight 58) beat South Africa 129 for 8 (Brits 51, Bell 2-28, Dean 2-31) by 40 runs

England stormed into the final of their home T20 World Cup with a comprehensive victory over South Africa built on blistering half-centuries by Nat Sciver-Brunt, returning from injury, and Heather Knight.

The England captains present and past combined for a 133-run partnership for the fourth wicket off 90 balls to rescue their side from a perilous 35 for 3 and set up a 40-run win. It was the highest partnership for any wicket in a Women's T20 World Cup semi-final and the second-highest at this edition of the tournament, earning them the right to face Australia in Sunday's title decider at Lord's.

Sciver-Brunt, back in the side after missing three games with a recurrence of a calf injury, smashed 75 off 47, and Knight 58 off 47, before an all-round effort by England's bowlers held South Africa to 129 for 8 in reply to 169 for 5, vanquishing the hosts' poor record in global semi-finals between them in recent times.

An early onslaught from Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp had England in trouble at the end of the powerplay, the hosts' equal worst for that phase of play in the tournament alongside their second game, against Ireland. Kapp conceded just one boundary on her way to 1 for 16 off her four overs and Ismail ended with 2 for 31.

Among the early wickets was the in-form opener, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who managed just 12 but England showed the enviable batting depth which has finally gelled this summer to emerge on top after losing to South Africa in the semi-final of last year's 50-over World Cup and the 2023 T20 edition.

Ismail, Kapp win opening gambit

Ismail became the first woman with 50 wickets at T20 Women's World Cups when she struck first ball to remove England opener Amy Jones. Ismail started in the second over of the match with a short ball which reared from outside off stump as Jones leaned back to cut and sent a leading edge straight to Annerie Dercksen at cover point. Since her half-century against Sri Lanka on the opening night of the tournament, Jones has had a wretched run with the bat, scoring 36 runs across her five subsequent innings with a highest score of 17.

Ismail had her second wicket in as many overs when, the ball after Sciver-Brunt survived a hopeful South Africa review for lbw on a ball that was sliding down leg, she pinned Alice Capsey on the pad plumb in front. While Capsey didn't call for the DRS, replays showed she had got a faint inside edge onto the ball. Those dismissals bookended the most spectacular moment of an enthralling passage of play, when Kapp beat the inside edge of Wyatt-Hodge's tentative prod and tore out off stump. That left the tournament's leading run-scorer back in the dugout, and South Africa well on top.

Full report to follow