Knight spurred on by 2017 SF memories ahead of South Africa clash

Heather Knight is hoping to avoid another nail-biting finish when England take on South Africa in the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup on Thursday.

The last-four clash in Christchurch is a repeat of the 2017 semi at the County Ground in Bristol, where England squeezed home with two balls to spare for a two-wicket win.

Another win over the Proteas would put reigning champions England into the final again, but captain Knight wants to ensure they get the job done without it going down to the wire - something which has been a recurring theme in matches throughout this year's tournament in New Zealand.

"If it's anything like the other games in this tournament, it will be," Knight said. "They're a quality team, they've played some really good cricket this tournament and they had a remarkable win against India.

"They're going to be really tough to beat, I think we're going to have to bring our best cricket and we'd love to have the same result as 2017.

"It would be a little bit nicer if it wasn't as close because it's one of the most nerve-wracking games of cricket I've had, to make a home World Cup final.

"So, hopefully it will be not a thriller but I'm sure there will be some twists and turns there."

Knight is aiming to gain a measure of revenge over South Africa for the group-stage defeat they inflicted on England two weeks ago, where 77 from Laura Wolvaardt set them on course to chase down a target of 236 in the final over.

Wolvaardt, the leading run-scorer at the this year's World Cup, was among the players England dropped catches off in the field as they slumped to a third-straight loss in the match at Mount Maunganui.

Since then though, the holders have revitalised their campaign and won four on the bounce