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It is "no doubt" that England will reach the World Cup championship match, said ex-cricketer Alex Hartley after Nat Sciver-Brunt's side thrashed New Zealand to finish the group stage.

The win enabled England secure second place in the table behind defending champions Australia, and they are scheduled to meet South Africa in the initial semi-final clash on Wednesday.

The match takes place in Guwahati, the identical location where England thumped the Proteas in their tournament opener by bowling them out for a mere 69 runs.

"England will carry tremendous self-belief into their encounter against South Africa," Alex Hartley, a World Cup winner, shared with BBC Test Match Special.

"The Guwahati venue favors their bowling, the spin-friendly surfaces and the approach they employ their slow bowlers.

"I truly believe, and there is absolute certainty that England will overcome South Africa and progress to the final."

Resolving Inconsistencies

The English team have overcome some uneven performances with the batting lineup during the tournament, especially against weaker opponents Bangladesh and Pakistan, but have also displayed growth under tense situations by narrowly defeating co-hosts India in a close contest.

Contrastingly, South Africa ended their group stage with a comprehensive beating by Australia, enduring another innings meltdown to spin as they were bowled out for 97, but the former spinner also advised that England should not take their competitors lightly.

"The England side are a better team, but that is no guarantee that South Africa won't have their success.

"We witnessed it in the T20 World Cup when they ousted Australia last year, so England cannot approach the game assuming victory - but they are the stronger team."

The England women's team have beaten South Africa in the final four of earlier versions of the competition, before their famous win over India at Lord's in 2017 and loss by Australia in 2022.

Spin Dominance

England's bowling has excelled since the start of the tournament, notably the spin bowling unit of Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith and Charlie Dean - though they will be carefully watching on the health of the first-mentioned after she hurt her shoulder against the White Ferns.

Their batting order was less assured but openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones, who added their fourth partnership of over fifty runs at Visakhapatnam on Sunday, have begun to discover their groove at a ideal time.

"We've seen a lot of concerns about the two openers at the top of the order being able to handle the in-swinger," Alex Hartley noted.

"Beaumont has changed her approach and is batting on off-stump now and she looks a lot more at ease. She might have hoped to score more against New Zealand but that first-wicket stand is just starting to tick as we are entering the nitty gritty.

"This is perfect - you want to be playing your top form as you are getting into the latter stages."

Lineup Adjustments

Heather Knight and Sciver-Brunt have been fluent all tournament but there are remaining doubts over the middle order, which head coach Edwards adjusted against New Zealand but they were unnecessary in the eight-wicket win.

The all-rounder, who struggled at batting at six with limited scoring in five matches, was omitted for Danni Wyatt-Hodge while the young batter was listed to appear at the fifth spot rather than the seventh position, exchanging places with the struggling Sophia Dunkley.

The squad need to be ready to adjust as they go back to the slow, spin-friendly surface of Guwahati from the flatter pitches of Indore and Vizag, while the other semi-finalists battle in the subsequent knockout in Navi Mumbai, which is also hosting the championship match on 2 November.