The chances of South Africa qualifying for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2021 looked very slim right from the outset on the last day of the Super 12 stage in Group 1. Those chances got even slimmer as Australia not only beat West Indies but beat them big time and thus increased their net run rate in a big way.
The Australian team's net run rate after the match against West Indies went up to +1.216 which now means that South Africa would have to win the game by at least 60 runs against table-toppers England in their last Super 12 game. Had South Africa chased, they would have needed to chase it down a target of more than 150 in 12-13 overs.
But now that the Proteas lost the toss and are batting first, they need to win it by at least 60 runs to make sure that they reach the semis. Skipper Temba Bavuma at the time of toss said, “We would look to build a foundation in the first six overs and then launch ourselves as much as we can.”