South Africa skipper, Laura Wolvaardt, went all out and played the innings of her life to take the team into their first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup final, after which she described the whole experience as "surreal" following the Proteas' landmark victory over England.
Wolvaardt, a true leader on the field, dazzled the crowd with an eye-popping 169 from 143 balls to power South Africa to a hefty 319 for 7 in their 50 overs. The captain’s triumphant march was supported by Marizanne Kapp’s five-wicket haul as the England team was dismissed for 194 only, thus, South Africa made it to the final.
“It still feels unreal,” says Wolvaardt after match-winning knock
Reflecting on her monumental innings, Wolvaardt said the moment was straight out of her childhood dreams.
“It still feels a bit unreal. It’s the sort of thing you dream about as a kid — scoring a hundred in a World Cup knockout game. It’s a very special day, and I’m so glad we won in the end. We knew the start would be crucial,” she said at the post-match presentation.
The skipper also expressed how much the victory meant to the team after suffering heartbreaking semi-final defeats to England in the past.
“Everyone is really excited. Having lost to this opposition in two previous editions, it really hurt the group. So I’m really pleased we got the win tonight,” she added.
Wolvaardt credited her opening partner Tazmin Brits (45) for setting the tone with a 116-run stand that laid the foundation for South Africa’s big total.
“Taz and I have been strong at the top, and it’s great we could get that partnership going again. It was a decent wicket, so we just wanted to keep building. Once we reached the 40th over, I knew our middle order could accelerate. I thought, while I’m there, I might as well swing — so I’m happy a few of those leg-side hits came off,” she laughed.
While her personal best in ODIs remains 184, Wolvaardt had no hesitation in calling this her most significant innings yet.
“Probably has to be at the top. Considering the context — a World Cup semi-final, against a strong team and bowling attack — I think it’s right up there,” she said proudly.
“We weren’t at our best,” admits Nat Sciver-Brunt
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt acknowledged that her side failed to deliver a complete performance on the night and that the defeat will take time to process.
“You had to put a whole game together. We didn’t do that today, and we’re obviously hugely disappointed. It’ll take some time to sink in,” she said.
Sciver-Brunt praised Wolvaardt’s knock, noting that the South African captain made the most of favourable batting conditions.
“She had the best of the conditions and really took advantage. She knew what she was doing, and the batters who followed made it very difficult for us,” the England skipper admitted.
Early setbacks derailed England’s chase, as they lost three wickets in the first seven balls, making recovery almost impossible.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal losing three quick wickets. Capsey and I managed to put together a decent partnership, but we needed to carry it on much longer to be in the game,” Sciver-Brunt reflected.
Despite the disappointment, Sciver-Brunt said she remains optimistic about England’s progress.
“We’ve come a long way since the summer and learned a lot about ourselves. This will hurt, but in time, we’ll take the learnings and move forward. To beat the best teams, you have to be at your best and hopefully, we’ll come back stronger next time,” she concluded.
