Saturday Nov 29, 2025
Saturday Nov 29, 2025
Thursday, 30 October 2025 03:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
South African Captain Lauren Wolvaardt celebrates her hundred
Sophie Ecclestone (left) was England’s best bowler with a four-fer
Marizanne Kapp is on fire as she runs through the England batting
It was a historic moment for South Africa at Guwahati yesterday, where their women’s team entered the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final for the first time in their history with a clinical 125-run victory against England in the first semi-final.
South Africa had lost each of their three Women’s World Cup semi-finals previously in 2000, 2017, and 2022, but yesterday was different, as they laid to rest the ghosts of the past.
Player of the Match Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp – the two guns in the team – came to the party – Wolvaardt with the bat with an innings for the ages and Kapp with the ball, who took double wicket-maidens twice in the game to snuff out England challenge for 194 chasing 320.
Kapp’s opening burst saw South Africa reduce England to 1-3 and from there, it was an uphill task for the chasing side. Alice Capsey (50 off 71 balls, 6 fours) and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (64 off 76 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) fought back with a stand of 107 off 130 balls. But just when the England Captain looked threatening, Kapp came back to produce a peach of a wobble-seam delivery to get her out. She followed it up with two more and took a fifer (5/20).
Before Sciver-Brunt’s wicket, Kapp was off the field with cramps and after the fifer, she again was off the field and watched her side finish it off. Ever since that opening game defeat against the same opponents, South Africa had just grown exponentially and has been a side on the rise.
What a change from their group stage clash, when South Africa collapsed to 69 all-out to hand England an easy win. Yesterday, there were no such problems on the big night. One of the great knocks in women’s cricket history was witnessed in the form of South African Captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Openers Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (45 off 65 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) set the platform with a stand of 116 off 134 balls, and even though South Africa lost three quick wickets after that, Wolvaardt held her end up. She took her time and then built another stand of 72 off 66 balls with Marizanne Kapp (42 off 33 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), which put the innings back on track. After reaching her 100, Wolvaardt simply changed gears effortlessly. She smashed fours and sixes for fun and, suddenly, the scoreboard moved along at a rapid pace. Finally, Wolvaardt fell for 169 scored off 143 balls (20 fours, 4 sixes), having added a further 89 off 47 balls with Chloe Tryon (33* off 26 balls, 3 fours, 1 six). Tryon and Nadine de Klerk (11*) ensured South Africa finished on a strong note, with 117 coming from the last 10 overs. It was a huge total on the board in a pressure game. Apart from Sophie Ecclestone, who took a four-fer, England were run ragged by Wolvaardt’s knock.
Scores:
South Africa Women 319-7 (50) (Laura Wolvaardt 169, Tazmin Brits 45, Marizanne Kapp 42, Chloe Tryon 33*, Lauren Bell 2/55, Sophie Ecclestone 4/44)
England Women 194 (42.3) (Nat Sciver-Brunt 64, Alice Capsey 50, Danni Wyatt-Hodge 34, Linsey Smith 27, Marizanne Kapp 5/20, Nadine de Klerk 2/24)
