Opening batter and Player of the match during the Bangladesh triumph, Laura Wolvaardt has expressed how important it will be for the South African side to be mentally strong ahead of the semifinal against England.

Wolvaardt who has been a rock for Hilton Moreeng's charges at the T20 World Cup so far, scored 66 runs out of 56 balls to contribute to the 117 unbeaten partnership with Tazmin Brits on Tuesday night as the Proteas created history at the Newlands Cricket Ground as they reached their maiden T20 World Cup semifinal.

Heading into Friday's encounter against England as underdogs, the Momentum Proteas know that it will not be an easy match against England however, Wolvaardt is confident that they will give England a run for their money.

"They are a good quality side and we know that we are going to have to play a very good game of cricket, it goes without saying that they are also a very strong team that can can take the game away from us if we are not mentally prepared," Wolvaardt said.

The Momentum Proteas have faced England before in the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup and Wolvaardt talks about how their mental instability contributed negatively to their loss against the English side.

The Momentum Proteas who started the World Cup with a disappointing loss to Sri Lanka have seen themselves rise to the top with victories against New Zealand and Bangladesh respectively and Wolvaardt has reiterated that the positive mindset the team has shown during the tournament will also play a vital role against England on Friday night.

"We just need to continue being positive towards and during the game, we can't leave this one until the last over, we need to be on the front foot from the beginning if we want to start well and win the encounter, I believe if we can have a lot of runs on the scoreboard then we will have the much needed edge over a very good England side," Wolvaardt added.

With the match set to start at 15:00 at the Newlands Cricket Ground, fans are expected to come out in large numbers and support the Proteas as they have consistently been doing during the group stage matches.