England to be 'favourites' in CT semi with Proteas, says De Villiers

South African captain AB de Villiers has said that England will be the favourites during their ICC Champions Trophy semi final clash with South Africa at The Oval on Wednesday because they are playing at home and know the conditions well.

Both South Africa and England, aiming to end a frustrating wait for a major one-day title, will hope that lady luck does not desert them, although they are fortunate to make the last four in the eight-nation tournament, saved either by the weather or their rivals' bad luck, Sport24 reports.

Admitted that England will be favourites during the crucial semi-final clash, the South African skipper said that even though his team takes confidence from the fact that they have won two knock-out games in a row, it may not give them an edge as they would be playing in front of a big home crowd under England's home conditions.

However, De Villiers said that he expected another close contest between two 'world-class' sides, adding that both of them have 50-50 chances of going into the finals.

De Villiers further said that that success will come to the team that has the right attitude and can take the momentum early on, adding that his team will try to adapt to the conditions as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, England skipper Alastair Cook said that his team was excited about playing in a major semi-final, adding that the events of the past will have no relevance on the match.

Group B winners India and Sri Lanka meet in the second semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday in a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai, which the Indians won, the report added.