It's the old saying of 'when it rains, it pours' and that's exactly what happened on Sunday with what was expected to be a hit out against tournament favourites. 

The ground was too damp to play a match but Australia still got the chance to practice from fielding under lights. 

"It's not ideal however it has been nice to spend a few days in Antigua," Australian batter Elyse Villani said.

"Although we would have liked to have got on last night against the English, we've had a good lead up in the series against Pakistan," she said.

However, South Africa also boasts a strong team with rebel WBBL players Dane van Niekerk, Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus.  

"They're a strong side and they've got some outstanding match winners in their team," Villani said.

"They've played a lot of Big Bash particularly for the Sydney Sixers so they're not unfamiliar opposition but they're definitely individuals who we are aware of and who can be very dangerous," she said.

Australia head into the tournament as the top ranked nation with reigning Champions West Indies, who beat the Aussies in 2016, ranked fourth behind England and New Zealand.

It is set to be a busy start to their World T20 campaign as they play Pakistan, Ireland and New Zealand in the space of five days with a three-day break their final group match against India.

Australia will need to be one of the top two teams in their group to advance to the semi-finals.