Australia v South Africa, T20 World Cup: match preview

05 Jun 2026 Laura Jolly, in Manchester

Get the broadcast info, latest team news, start times and more as Australia launch their T20 World Cup campaign against South Africa

Match facts

Who: Australia v South Australia

What: Match 3, ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Group 1

When: Saturday, June 13. First ball 2:30pm local time (11:30pm AEST)

Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

Live scores: Match Centre

How to watch: Prime Video

Officials: Nimali Perera, Janani N (on-field), Candace la Borde (TV), Shathira Jakir Jessy (fourth), Michell Pereira (referee)

News and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Broadcast info

All 33 matches will again be shown exclusively live on Prime Video in Australia, which holds the Aussie broadcast rights for all ICC events until the end of 2027. There is no free-to-air Australian television broadcast under the deal, however Prime Video have made this tournament free to access - you will still need a Prime account and to login, but no payment is required to watch matches from the tournament. You can sign up here for Prime Video - which includes a 30-day free trial.

If joining the broadcast late, Prime Video offers a 'rapid recap' feature, which will bring fans up to speed on the best action so far. Prime Video will also produce on-demand highlights packages after every match along with full match replays, available immediately after the match has finished.

The squads

Australia: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Dané van Niekerk

Possible XIs

Australia: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux (c), Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

The Australian top five seems pretty set in stone, as long as Litchfield can overcome the quad niggle that kept her out of the two warm-ups in Cardiff. Annabel Sutherland is another lock in the XI - likely down the order - alongside skipper Sophie Molineux who has been impressive since returning from a back injury. If Kim Garth and Megan Schutt lead the pace attack, it likely leaves three players vying for two remaining spots: Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham and Alana King.

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Sune Luus, Tazmin Brits, Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Chloe Tryon, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

South Africa also have some big calls to make at the selection table, with Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Dane van Niekerk all back in the squad. Tazmin Brits might be under pressure in the top order after a lean run, while van Niekerk could slot in at either No.3 or 4. Chloe Tryon starred with 61 off 26 in their warm-up against New Zealand, while young gun Kayla Reyneke is also pushing for a middle-to-lower order spot after a rapid 45 against the Aussies in Arundel. Ismail is likely to slot straight back into the pace attack.

Australia v South Africa World Cup history

Australia will have a score to settle at Old Trafford, after an inspired South Africa led by Anneke Bosch shattered their dreams of a fourth consecutive T20 World Cup title in Dubai in 2024.

A superb bowling display had restricted Australia’s powerful batting line-up to 4-134 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, before Proteas No.3 Bosch (74no from 48) and captain Laura Wolvaardt (42 from 37) hammered the Australian attack, steering their side to a famous win in 17.2 overs.

It was just their second ever victory over Australia, who missed the tournament final for just the second time ever, and the first time since the inaugural event in 2009.

Group 1 latest

Australia and South Africa are kicking off the Group 1 action, after England and Sri Lanka get the tournament underway for Group 2 on Friday night.

Players to watch

Sophie Molineux

The Australia captain is back in action after being restricted by a back injury during the recent tour of the Caribbean.

She impressed on return during last week's unofficial warm-up matches against the Proteas, picking up a handful of wickets while remaining economical, and will no doubt be looking forward to a Manchester surface known to provide assistance to the tweakers.

This will be her T20 World Cup captaincy debut after taking the reins from Alyssa Healy earlier this year.

Shabnim Ismail

The fiery speedster is back in South African colours for the first time since 2023, after being convinced to come out of international retirement to help the Proteas cover a lack of depth and injuries in the pace department.

She picked up four wickets against the Aussies in her first game back in Arundel and her raw pace and experience will prove a handful for all of the Proteas' opponents at this tournament.

Local knowledge

Beth Mooney has previously called Old Trafford home in The Hundred, while a host of other Aussies will be able to draw on recent experience at the venue thanks to the 100-ball tournament. Australia have never played a T20I at the ground and last played an international at Old Trafford in a 1976 Test match - decades before any of the current players were born.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: No result

Australia: W W W L W L W W W W

Australia and South Africa know each other pretty well by this stage, having met in two completed practice matches at Arundel Castle before the start of the World Cup, splitting them 1-1.

Prior to that, Australia swept the West Indies 3-0 in St Vincent and the Grenadines in March, but suffered a T20 series loss on home soil to India in February, going down 1-2.

South Africa: W L W W W L L L W L

South Africa meanwhile defeated India in their most recent official bilateral series, winning 4-1 on home soil in April. It was a dramatic turnaround from their tour of New Zealand a month earlier, which saw them lose 1-4 to the reigning T20 World Cup champions.

Rapid stats

South Africa have won two of their past three women's T20Is against Australia, including an eight-wicket victory when they last met in the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final in Dubai. Prior to that, they had lost all their eight matches against them, and this week will be aiming for consecutive wins against them for the first time.
Australia have won 15 of their past 16 women's T20Is away from home, including each of their last six; their only defeat in that span came in their last meeting with South Africa in the 2024 semi-final.
South Africa have won only one of their past seven women's T20Is away from home, an 18-run victory against New Zealand in March. They have lost each of their three games since then, the last time they recorded a longer losing run on the road in the format was a four-match span from September 2023 to January 2024.
Australia will be looking to avoid consecutive defeats at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup for the first time in the history of the tournament, following on from that semi-final loss in 2024.
South Africa batters recorded a collective batting average of 30 at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, the best of any team in the tournament and eight runs more than Australia (22); in addition, their batting dot ball rate (36.3 per cent) was the second best of any team in the campaign behind India's 35.6 per cent.
Australia duo Tahlia McGrath (4.00 from four overs) and Megan Schutt (4.07 from 17.4 overs) recorded the best bowling economy rates of any players at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024; Schutt's tally is the second best of any player to log at least five overs for Australia in a single edition of the tournament, behind Lisa Sthalekar's 4.05 from 18 overs in 2012.
South Africa duo Marizanne Kapp (83) and Nonkululeko Mlaba (77) bowled more dot balls than any other players at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024; Mlaba took 12 wickets, the most of any player for South Africa at a single edition of the tournament.
Beth Mooney (6) is one away from equalling Alyssa Healy (7) for the most 50+ scores for Australia in ICC Women's T20 World Cup history; she's scored 40+ in four of her last five T20I innings against South Africa overall (74*, 72*, 13, 82, 44).
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) scored 140 runs during the Powerplay at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, 36 more than any other player.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026

Australia squad: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham. Travelling reserve: Tahlia Wilson