England look to momentum and history in South Africa semi-final

England versus South Africa. A World Cup semi-final that – if the rest of the tournament is anything to go by – is likely to come down to the wire. Heather Knight at the helm, facing off against Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt & co. If that all sounds familiar, it’s because it was exactly the situation faced by England on their path to world domination, five years ago at home in 2017.

On that occasion, at Bristol, England were left relying on an unlikely hero with the bat – Anya Shrubsole. With England eight wickets down and needing two runs to win from the last three balls, Shrubsole stuck out her bat and flayed a boundary through point: cue heartbreak for South Africa, and relief for England. The good news, if you are English, is that Shrubsole will be available for selection in Thursday’s repeat of the 2017 semi-final at Christchurch, after being rested against Bangladesh.

Related: Australia’s spin queen Alana King: ‘I want to do something different’ | Megan Maurice

Despite Shrubsole’s availability, Knight is hoping that this time around, the semi-final will not be decided by England’s No 10. “It’d be a little bit nicer if it wasn’t as close, because that’s one of the most nervous finishes of a cricket game I’ve ever had!” she said on Monday. But this is a tournament which has seen England lose their first three matches before just about jittering across the line in must-win games against India and New Zealand. Meanwhile, opponents South Africa have experienced four final-over finishes; their last – against India – came down to the final ball. Another close match may well be in the offing.

Knight brushed off England’s poor start to the tournament, saying that her side are “in a very good place”: “It’s been a