Former Australia Captain Meg Lanning Picks ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Semi-Final Winners

Mumbai, October 29: Former Australia captain Meg Lanning has predicted the teams she expects to win the semi-finals at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and pinpointed the player that must dominate for each side, as per the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Lanning knows better than most what is required to win a knockout contest at an ICC event, with the former Australia captain having been a part of two successful ICC Women's Cricket World Cup campaigns and won a whopping five ICC Women's T20 World Cup titles throughout her glittering career. IND-W vs AUS-W, ICC Women’s World Cup 2025: Alyssa Healy Back in Nets, Defending Champions Australia Get Major Boost Ahead of Semi-Final Clash Against India.

The Australian legend looked in depth at both semi-finals of the World Cup with host Nikhil Uttamchandani on the most recent episode of The ICC Review and provided her thoughts on who will come out on top. Lanning has been impressed with both sides at times during the World Cup but thinks England's greater depth might prove pivotal in the outcome of this knockout contest.

"I think England have been building nicely throughout the tournament, and their key players are playing well. You've got Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight and Sophie Ecclestone, who's done really well through the tournament. If they get some contributions from a couple of others, then they're a pretty dangerous team," Lanning predicted, as quoted from the official website of ICC.

Lanning believes former England captain and long-time rival Heather Knight will step up for England, given her ability to perform well in knockout matches.

"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. So I feel like she's the most important player for them," Lanning suggested. Is There A Reserve Day For India Women vs Australia Women ICC Women's World Cup Semi-Final 2? Will IND-W vs ENG-W Semis Clash be Played Next Day In Case Rain Plays Spoilsport at Navi Mumbai?

Lanning also suggested Proteas all-rounder Marizanne Kapp as the player that needs to play well if South Africa are to come out on top. "And then for South Africa, 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," Lanning noted.

"She also just lifts the energy of the group when she really gets that fire in her eyes and takes the game on. So I think if she can impact the game pretty early with bat or ball, then that will give South Africa some good confidence," she added.

Lanning knows how dangerous India will be with a parochial home crowd cheering them on but thinks her former side may prove a little too strong in this semi-final matchup. ENG-W vs SA-W, ICC Women’s World Cup 2025: England Upbeat About Sophie Ecclestone Being Fit for Semi-Final Fixture Against South Africa .

"I think Australia has just got incredible depth. They've shown throughout the tournament that they're not reliant on one or two players, and even if they do lose some early wickets with the bat, there's some real big power towards the backend that can sort of get them out of different situations," Lanning commenced.

Lanning believes India will miss the scoring power of injured opener Pratika Rawal and thinks the time is right for skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to step up. "For India I'm going to go with Captain Harmanpreet Kaur. She's had a good tournament, but she's probably yet to really explode and dominate a game and for me, that makes me a touch nervous because it feels like she's due to do that and when she gets going, she's pretty impossible to stop so she's the key player for India," Lanning said.

Lanning is predicting former teammate Beth Mooney as a crucial cog for the Aussies. "For Australia it has to be Beth Mooney, as she can come in at any situation in the innings and adapt accordingly. If there's a really good foundation set, she's able to keep that momentum going and we've also seen that if there are a couple of quick wickets, she's able to sort of work her way through those innings," Lanning said. ICC Women’s World Cup 2025: Top Five Highest Wicket-Takers in Competition So Far, From Annabel Sutherland to Deepti Sharma; Check Full List.

"So we've seen through the tournament that there have been clumps of wickets falling. So I think the players who can manoeuvre their way through those situations have become really important, especially in big crunch games," she said.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)