Guwahati, Oct 29 (IANS) After starting their 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup by being bowled out for 69 against England at the ACA Stadium, South Africa turned the tables on the same opposition in emphatic fashion by storming into the title clash with a 125-run win in the first semifinal on Wednesday.
With this win, South Africa have stormed into their first-ever Women’s World Cup final by dismantling England with a clinical performance. Skipper Laura Wolvaardt led the charge with a masterful 169 off 143 balls – an innings that will be etched in World Cup folklore.
She paced her knock with poise and precision, reaching her century off 115 balls before unleashing a late-innings blitz that saw her plunder 69 runs off her final 28 deliveries. Her knock, laced with 20 fours and four sixes, is also the highest score by a South African in a Women’s ODI World Cup, as the Proteas posted a mammoth 319/7.
England, chasing a record target, were rocked early by Marizanne Kapp’s opening burst, reducing them to 1-3. Marizanne, who had left the field briefly with cramps, returned to complete a five-wicket haul and end with 5-20, as England were bowled out for 194 in 42.3 overs.
Alice Capsey (50) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (64) stitched together a 107-run stand to offer brief hope, but England never truly recovered from the early collapse, as they folded under scoreboard pressure and South Africa’s relentless discipline. It was a night of redemption for South Africa, as the ghosts of Christchurch 2022 and Bristol 2017 were laid to rest.
Marizanne and Laura, two of the greatest match winners of the Proteas, rose to the occasion with career-defining performances. South Africa can now sit back and watch India and Australia battle it out for the right to join them in Sunday’s final. South Africa had a fantastic start to their defense as Marizanne castled Amy Jones through the gate for duck, before forcing Heather Knight to chop on to her stumps without troubling the scorers in a double-wicket maiden over.
More trouble followed England when a back-of-length delivery from Ayabonga Khaka straightened off the deck and found Tammy Beaumont’s outside edge, which UltraEdge confirmed with a faint spike, as the opener went back for zero.
Alice and Nat hung around to rebuild England’s innings. The duo got a few streaky boundaries before middling some fours off Ayabonga and Nadine de Klerk to bring up the fifty of their partnership. Alice survived a scare when substitute Nondumiso Shangase dropped her catch off Sune Luus.
To rub more salt into the wound, Nat survived being run out by the barest of margins, via a desperate full-length dive. Alice was top-notch in her sweeps to bring up her maiden ODI half-century off 70 balls. On the very next ball, Nat reached the milestone off 59 balls with a loft off Sune Luus for six.
But Sune had the last laugh by having Alice hole out to mid-off. Nat survived another scare when Tazmin Brits dropped her catch off Sune, and had to leave the field for treatment after landing heavily on her right arm. Just when South Africa needed a wicket, Marizanne returned to have Nat caught behind on a drive.
She came back in her next over to catch Sophia Dunkley’s outside edge with a late-moving delivery, before having Charlie Dean edge behind for a golden duck to complete a fifer and go past Jhulan Goswami to become the highest wicket taker in Women’s ODI World Cup history with 44 scalps.
From there, the result became a foregone conclusion – Sophie Ecclestone swept to deep mid-wicket off Nonkululeko Mlaba, Danni Wyatt-Hodge heaved to deep backward square leg off Nadine de Klerk, and once Linsey Smith sliced to mid-off, celebrations sparked in the Proteas outfit as they now head one step closer to claiming the trophy.
Previously, Laura became the first captain to score a century in a women’s ODI knockout match. South Africa’s innings began with a solid 116-run opening stand between Laura and Tazmin Brits, but a brief collapse saw them lose three wickets in quick succession. But Laura steadied the innings through a composed 72-run partnership with Marizanne before launching into a late onslaught that left England’s bowlers scrambling.
Sophie was the pick of England’s attack, finishing with figures of 4-44, despite playing with a minor injury near her collarbone. But the rest of the England bowling unit struggled to contain Laura’s strokeplay on a placid pitch. Pushed into batting first, Laura was elegant from the get-go by driving Lauren Bell for four, before getting a thick edge off the pacer for another boundary.
She took a liking to the width and lengths of Linsey by picking four boundaries, even as Tazmin got going with a couple of fours as South Africa ended power-play at 58/0. A sweep off Sophie through fine leg for four made Laura the sixth woman to bring up 5,000 ODI runs, before bringing up her fifty through a drive. With Tazmin timing her boundaries well, South Africa brought up the hundred of their opening partnership.
But Sophie’s double strike in the 23rd over brought England back into the contest – Tazmin reverse-swept to her stumps to fall for 45, while Anneke Bosch was castled for a three-ball duck. More pressure came on South Africa as Sune chopped on to her stumps while trying to pull off a slower Nat delivery.
From there, Marizanne came in to stabilise things alongside Laura. She got going with three boundaries off Nat, before taking a four each off Sophie, Charlie, and Alice. Even as she brought the fifty of her partnership with Laura, Marizanne had a reprieve when Lauren dropped her catch in the 34th over.
England’s decision to bring back Sophie paid off when she broke the partnership as Kapp skied a loft to mid-on and fell for 42. It brought a mini-wobble as Lauren castled Sinalo Jafta with a wobble seam delivery, while Annerie Dercksen chopped on to her stumps off Sophie.
Amidst all this, Laura brought up her first World Cup hundred on her 115th delivery, and opened up further by sweeping Sophie for four, before lofting Charlie for six. She then heaved and pulled Nat on consecutive balls for six and four, before flaying and lofting Charlie for two fours.
Laura’s onslaught continued when she pulled Nat for four, before heaving her for six. She raised her 150 by pulling Linsey for six, before pulling, slog-sweeping, and sweeping her for a hat-trick of fours. Though Laura miscued loft to long-on off Lauren, her magnificent innings, along with lofty shots from Chloe and Nadine, ensured South Africa crossed the 300-mark, thanks to a whopping 69 runs coming in the last five overs.
Brief scores:
South Africa 319/7 in 50 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 169, Tazmin Brits 45; Sophie Ecclestone 4-44, Lauren Bell 2-55) beat England 194 all out in 42.3 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 64, Alice Capsey 50; Marizanne Kapp 5-20, Nadine de Klerk 2-24) by 125 runs
–IANS
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