Laura Wolvaardt played the innings of her life to take South Africa to their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup final. The skipper called the moment “surreal” after leading her team to a dominant win over England.
Batting first, South Africa posted 319 for 7 in 50 overs, with Wolvaardt scoring a magnificent 169 off 143 balls. England never recovered in their chase and were bowled out for 194, as Marizanne Kapp claimed five wickets.
“It still feels a bit unreal,” Wolvaardt said after the match. “It’s something you dream about as a kid – scoring a hundred in a World Cup knockout. Very special day, and I’m so glad we won in the end. We knew the start would be crucial.”
The victory was extra special for South Africa, who had lost to England in the semifinals of the previous two editions. “Everyone is really excited,” Wolvaardt said. “Those losses really hurt the group. So it’s amazing to finally get the win tonight.”
Wolvaardt praised her opening partner Tazmin Brits, who scored 45 in a 116-run opening stand. “Taz and I have been strong at the top of the order. We’ve picked up the rest of the line-up, so it was great to have that partnership. The wicket was decent, and we just wanted to keep going,” she said.
Reflecting on her late acceleration, Wolvaardt said she wanted to stay till the 40th over before letting her middle-order finish strong. “While I was there, I thought I might as well swing. Happy to get a few leg-side boundaries, maybe needed that a bit earlier,” she smiled.
Though her career-best ODI score is 184, Wolvaardt said this knock ranks above all. “Probably has to be the top. Just the context, the World Cup semifinal, winning against a strong side. It’s right up there.”
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt admitted her team failed to deliver a complete performance. “You have to put a whole game together. We didn’t do that today, and we’re hugely disappointed. It will take time to sink in,” she said.
She praised Wolvaardt’s batting but felt the conditions helped the South African skipper. “She had the best of the conditions and really took advantage. Their middle-order batters were explosive, which made it tough for us.”
England’s collapse early in the chase proved costly. “It’s not ideal losing three quick wickets. Capsey and I built a partnership, but we needed to do it for much longer,” Sciver-Brunt said.
Despite the loss, she remained optimistic. “We’ve come a long way since the summer. This will hurt, but we’ll learn from it. To beat the best, you have to be at your best. Hopefully, we’ll come back stronger next time.”
