SA vs AUS: Australia playing XI vs South Africa, 2nd Semi-final, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – Predicted

Australia will face South Africa in the second semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The first two defeats in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 were the only defeats that Australia faced in the tournament. Since then, they have not looked back and have won all of their matches. With seven consecutive wins, Australia are high on confidence and will enter the semis. They will face South Africa in the second semi-final on November 16.

That game will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and with Australia's record, it looks that they will feel confident enough to turn the tables. However, South Africa have already beaten them, so it will not be a wise decision to write them off. But Australia in knockouts are the team to beat. Here, we will talk about the predicted playing XI for Australia in second semi-final.

SA vs AUS: Australia's Predicted playing XI vs South Africa

1. David Warner :

David Warner will be a huge wicket at the top, and if South Africa want to dominate, they need to remove him early. Because if he can stay for a while, he will surely score yet another century for Australia. Warner has been in superb form and has scored 499 runs at a strike rate of 105.49 with two hundreds and two half-centuries. He will look to take his team to a strong position.

2. Travis Head :

Travis Head has the best strike rate for an ODI opener in history, with a minimum of 1000 runs, which tells the story how dominant he has been. The left-hander is an aggressive batter at the top and can smash any bowling attack, and that's what he will be thinking against South Africa. If he can stay on that plan, South Afirca will be under pressure.

3. Mitchell Marsh :

Mitchell Marsh is coming off a record-breaking 177 not out in in the last game against Bangladesh. He was at his attacking best and kept hitting boundaries. That knock would have given him the confidence to replicate his performance in the semi-finals. Marsh has scored 426 runs at an average and strike rate of 60.85 and 109.51, with 20 sixes.

4. Steve Smith :

Steve Smith will be a very important player for Australia because he can be a very big player against spinners. That might come into play when they face South Africa. Smith has scored 268 runs so far and made an important partnership with Marsh in the last game, and Australia will hope that he can stay for long enough to give other batters an advantage.

5. Marnus Labuschagne :

Marnus Labuschagne is also the key player for Australia, who comes with some of the same skillsets as Steve Smith. That is why he is also an important player. Labuschagne can score runs against spin, which makes him very important for the middle-order. He has scored 286 runs already and will look to add some more runs to his tally.

6. Josh Inglis (wk) :

Josh Inglis is an attacking batter for Australia who is a floater that can bat anywhere. His approach to the game is very positive, he always looks for scoring runs, irrespective of the match situation. That may help Australia if they come under pressure against South Africa in the semi-finals, because Inglis, with his ability, can score in any match situation.

7. Glenn Maxwell :

Glenn Maxwell will be the player to watch out for after what he did against Afghanistan single-handedly. He needs to be stopped if South Africa want to have some chance. He has already shown what he can do, and South Africa can become his second victim. Maxwell has scored 397 runs at a strike rate of 152.69 with 22 sixes, and we might see some more on Thursday.

8. Mitchell Starc :

The man who has always performed his best in World Cup events, Mitchell Starc, will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. He will be looking to provide his team with good starts with the ball and then finish off well in the final overs. He has taken ten wickets so far and will be looking to add a few more on Thursday.

9. Pat Cummins (c) :

Skipper Pat Cummins will be eyeing the opportunity to take his team into the final and win the game against South Africa. Cummins has led the team very smartly and has done a decent job individually for his team. He himself will look to deliver a captain's performance, which can make a difference and take Australia to the finals.

10:  Adam Zampa :

If the pitch offers a turn, then Adam Zampa will be the biggest threat for South Africa. Proteas have found it difficult to score against quality spinners, and they were bundled out for 83 runs at the same venue against India, and Zampa can certainly turn the table in Australia's favor. He has taken 22 wickets so far and will be the biggest hurdle to cross for Proteas.

11. Josh Hazlewood :

Josh Hazlewood has been pretty impressive in this bowling, because of his ability to restrict the batters from scoring runs. That puts pressure on the batters, and other bowlers take wickets. Hazlewood has taken 12 wickets at an economy rate of 5.01 and will make the ball talk in Kolkata.