Proteas opener Laura Wolvaardt says it will come down to the mental strength of the Women's T20 World Cup hosts ahead of their semi-final against England at Newlands on Friday. South Africa sealed a 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Tuesday to finish second behind defending champions Australia in Group A, who take on India in their semi-final on Thursday. Wolvaardt smashed a career-best unbeaten 66 off 54 balls as the Proteas chased down Bangladesh's 114 in Cape Town. READ | Wolvaardt displays mental toughness to steer Proteas into semi-finals: 'Glad I stuck through it' The Proteas women became the first South African side - male or female - to reach a home World Cup semi-final. It means South Africa's semi-final date with destiny is against Group B winners and long-time rivals England. Hours before the Proteas' final Group A game against the Tigers, England maintained their unbeaten streak in the tournament as they scored 213 against Pakistan at Newlands, rumbling their opponents by 114 runs. Incidentally, 114 was the same run tally the initially nervy Proteas openers chased down with 2. 1 overs to spare in their fixture against Bangladesh. The Proteas women head into the semi-final as underdogs, despite great South African expectations and a hearty Newlands crowd anticipated on Friday. "They're a quality side. We've lost many semi-finals against them, which is not ideal. They play a very explosive, very attacking brand of cricket," Wolvaardt told reporters on Tuesday. "Tomorrow, we're just going to have to have some good discussions about how we can use that against them. And if anything, it gives us a bit more freedom to know that we are going to have to put a lot of runs on the board early on and get off to better starts than what we did. " Lloyd Burnard | SA embracing Proteas World Cup dream, but England reality looms This is the Proteas' third T20 World Cup semi-final, and the country has yet to make a World Cup final. Wolvaardt insists that South Africa knows what to expect as she hopes to continue her new-found form in the global showpiece. "We're going to have to play a very good game of cricket. There's no denying that they're a very strong side, very explosive batting side," said Wolvaardt. "We're going to have to put up a lot of runs if we want to stand a chance of getting them. " The Proteas women have a storied past with England when it comes to World Cup semi-finals, losing both their knockout encounters against Heather Knight's side in 2017 and 2022. The last time the two sides battled it out in a World Cup knockout came at the 2022 Cricket World Cup in Christchurch, New Zealand, where England thrashed the Proteas by 137 runs in the 50-over format. Wolvaardt insists that the Proteas won't let their past dictate Friday's proceedings at Newlands. "I think if you look at our last semi-final in the 50 over World Cup, I think it was just a total mental lapse. I think we had our worst game of the tournament in that game," said Wolvaardt. "We had a good tournament up until that point. I think we just need to have a lot of discussions to how to stay mentally strong. I think we have the talent and the skill. It's just a mental game in that semi-final. " Play on Friday starts at 15:00. .