World Cup 2023, Semi-Final 2 | SA vs AUS - Fantasy Guide

image-lozzxmenSouth Africa will be playing Australia in the second semi-final of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

South Africa (SA) and Australia (AUS) will be against each other in the 2nd Semi-Final of World Cup 2023. The match will be played on 16th November 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 2 PM IST. It's expected be a neck-to-neck contest as both teams have been in good form in the league stages and are well balanced with the players inform. 

It can be a difficult game to crack in fantasy as there are plenty of quality options to pick from both teams. We will help you with the differential picks, toss factor and other fantasy tips to help you crack this game and win big in fantasy cricket in this guide. 


Pitch Report

The pitch will be the most important thing to keep in mind while building your fantasy teams. The wicket at the Eden Gardens has been a good one for batting and the bowlers have also got some assistance off the track. Batting will be easier, especially in the first innings with the pacers getting good assistance with the new ball before the spinners come into play. Win the toss and bat first should be the way to go in this game. 

The average first innings score here is 274 runs and teams batting first have won 3 out of the 4 games played here. To explain in short, it will be good for batting in the first half and the bowlers will come into play in the second innings with the spinners expected to get good turn in the latter half. 

Fantasy Value from Pitch Report

  • Pick batters from the first innings. 
  • New ball bowlers & spinners from the second innings will be crucial.
  • Australia will be favorites if they bat first.
  • You can drop the top order batters from the 2nd innings (Grand Leagues). 


SA vs AUS, Semi-Final 2: Differential Picks

Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins will be a top differential pick for this match. He will bowl in the middle and death overs and can pick up a few wickets in this match. He is capable with the bat as well and can score some useful runs down the order. 

Cummins is a hit-the-deck bowler and has a good variation. His cutters and hard lengths can be very useful on the Eden pitch which has been a little two paced. 

Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen has failed in the last few games and as a result of that, his selection percentage as gone down to 35% at the time of writing this. Klaasen is amongst the best players of spin bowling in world cricket and will be a must-pick if the Proteas bat first. He will also be an ideal differential pick while batting second. 

Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc didn't played the last game and hence his selection percentage has gone down. It is expected to increase after the toss but don't take the risk to drop him in your teams. Starc will bowl in the power play and then in the death overs. He can easily pick 2-3 wickets while bowling first and we know the Proteas are having troubles while chasing so he can pick up a few wickets upfront with the new ball in the second innings too. 

Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis will be a top differential pick for Grand/Mini Grand Leagues. He will bowl a few overs and will bat in the lower middle order. Stoinis bowls a lot of cutters and slower deliveries and can get something off the pitch, especially while bowling second. He is a good player of spin bowling and can score some useful runs down the order incase of a top order collapse. 

Other Differential Picks

  • Travis Head
  • Kagiso Rabada
  • Josh Hazlewood


SA vs AUS, Semi-Final 2: Fantasy Cricket Tips

If South Africa Bats First

  • Pick Heinrich Klaasen, good C/VC pick in GLs & Mini Gls. 
  • Pick Death bowlers from South Africa. 
  • Dropping David Warner can be worth the risk. 
  • Pick Pat Cummins. 

If Australia Bats First

  • Select Adam Zampa as Captain. 
  • Dropping Quinton de Kock will be worth the risk.
  • Kagiso Rabada will be a good pick. 
  • Steve Smith and Travis Head will be good C/VC choices.