Former Australia captain Meg Lanning has shared her predictions for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup semi-finals 2025. She also talked about the key players to watch out for.
Speaking on The ICC Review with host Nikhil Uttamchandani, Lanning said, “I think England have been building nicely throughout the tournament and their key players are playing well.” She also praised England’s balance and experience, especially the leadership of former captain Heather Knight. “Heather Knight has got that really calm nature, which is really important in big games. I think she takes the pressure off Nat Sciver-Brunt and allows her to just play and dominate,” Lanning said.
For South Africa, Lanning highlighted the importance of all-rounder Marizanne Kapp. “It is hard to go past Marizanne Kapp. I think her ability to impact the game with both bat and ball is going to be crucial for them,” she noted.
Talking about the India versus Australia semi-final, Lanning believes Australia’s depth will make the difference. “I think Australia have just got incredible depth,” she said. “They’ve shown throughout the tournament that they’re not reliant on one or two players.”
She also pointed out that India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur needs to step up as their opener Pratika Rawal has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury. “For India, I’m going to go with captain Harmanpreet Kaur,” she said. “She’s had a good tournament, but she’s probably yet to really explode and dominate a game.”
Meanwhile, Lanning backed her former teammate – Beth Mooney – to shine brightly. “For Australia, it has to be Beth Mooney as she can come in at any situation in the innings and adapt accordingly.”
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