ICC Champions Trophy 2013 semi-finals: 5 things to look out for when South Africa meet England

4. England’s spin attack

The South Africans are not the most comfortable outfit against quality spin bowling. India shackled their batting in the middle overs with R. Jadeja and R. Ashwin. James Tredwell will have a job on his hands in the absence of Graeme Swann.

The injury to Swann is perhaps a blessing in disguise as Tredwell looked the better spinner in the last few encounters. Swann was taken apart by Nuwan Kulasekara in England’s loss to Sri Lanka. An economical spell with a couple of wickets might be enough to make that significant contribution that tilts the balance of the game.

3. Steyn gun

Dale Steyn has made a return to the South African team after missing out on the first two games. His absence was clearly affecting the bowling performance of the side as India scored over three hundred runs without any difficulty. The likes of Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Ryan Mclaren are more effective when he is spearheading the attack, while Chris Morris has been superb ever since he was handed out his debut against Pakistan.

Steyn made an immediate impact against the West Indies breaking the back of their batting order with two crucial wickets. He will have to live up to his reputation on the day against the combative English batting order.