Guwahati: After starting their 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup by being bowled out for 69 by 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.
Chasing a record target, England 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 2107 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.
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)
