England vs South Africa: Players to watch

• Tammy Beaumont has been the star performer with the bat during the ICC WWC
• South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk has been a major threat with the ball with 15 wickets

England meets South Africa in the first semi-final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017 on Tuesday with a place in a Lord’s final on the line.

The game will take place at Bristol, the same ground that England struck 373-5 against the Proteas earlier in the tournament in a 68-run victory.

The host won six of their seven fixtures during the league phase of the tournament, finishing top, with South Africa claiming four victories, losing two and seeing its game against New Zealand washed out.

Here are two key players from each team who have excelled in the tournament so far and could have a major impact on Tuesday’s result at The County Ground.

England:

Tammy Beaumont

Tammy Beaumont has been in very impressive form so far and is the tournament’s leading run scorer with 372 runs at the conclusion of the league stage.

Her 148 against England’s semi-final opponents South Africa came at Tuesday’s ground in Bristol and broke plenty of records and she’ll be looking to do the same again.

Since that record-breaking stand with Sarah Taylor, Beaumont has recorded scores of 49, 93 and 42 with two of those knocks coming at Bristol’s County Ground.

Her tournament average is 53.14 and she took a stunning diving catch in England’s final group stage game against the West Indies to demonstrate her agility in the field.

Heather Knight

England captain Heather Knight has led from the front with bat and ball in her first major tournament leading the side as the host looks to regain the title it last won in Australia in 2009.

She has 333 runs with the bat, including one century and two fifties, putting her fifth in the World Cup run-scoring charts.

The 26-year-old plundered 22 off 10 balls against South Africa in the first round but has also picked up seven wickets with the ball – just one behind England’s leading wicket-taker Alex Hartley.

She took two for 52 from eight overs against South Africa and has picked up a wicket in every tournament match in which she has bowled so far with her best figures of 2-41 coming against India at Derby.

South Africa

Dane van Niekerk

The South African captain has been the stand-out bowler in the tournament thus far with her incredible spell of four for zero against the West Indies a clear highlight.

The leg-spinner has shown that the spell was no flash in the pan as she has the most wickets in the tournament after the group stage with 15.

She also has an incredible average of just 8.33 and an economy rate of 3.26 showing how she gives so little away when she’s not picking up wickets.

The 24-year-old was wicket-less from her four overs against the hosts in Bristol on July 5 and will want to put that right on Tuesday afternoon.

Lizelle Lee

Lizelle Lee is South Africa’s leading run-scorer in the tournament and likes batting against England as demonstrated by her 72 off 77 balls earlier in the campaign.

The destructive opener struck two sixes in that innings and has an incredible 12 in total so far at the World Cup – the only player to reach double figures in this area.

Her best knock of the tournament to date came against India when she scored 92 so she’ll be targeting her first century to take South Africa to the final.

Lee will open with Laura Wolvaardt who has enjoyed a successful tournament herself with 258 runs to her name including a 67 against England and 71 in the last game against Australia.