South Africa made history in Guwahati on Wednesday after a phenomenal innings from their captain, Laura Wolvaardt, and remarkable figures of five for 20 from Marizanne Kapp helped them to secure a 125-run win against England and progress to their first 50-over World Cup final.
Wolvaardt took 115 balls to bring up a maiden World Cup hundred, which was reason enough to celebrate. But with wickets tumbling at the other end, and England looking like they might have an easy enough chase on their hands, she unleashed a superb display of boundary-striking, adding 69 runs in 28 balls.
Wolvaardt slammed four sixes down the ground and slog‑swept Linsey Smith for 20 runs off the 47th over. Even when she holed out to Lauren Bell in the 48th over, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk took over, hitting 16 off Smith in the 49th as England’s best death bowler was made to resemble an amateur.
South Africa’s 319 for seven was the second-highest total in a World Cup knockout game and a batting lineup much more solid than England’s would have struggled to chase the score. But they almost seemed resigned to defeat: their top three bagged ducks and a middle order that has barely fired at this tournament did not stand a chance.
That England were one for three, with the one run being a wide, just about summed up their day – even if they did manage to put 194 on the board before being bowled out in 42.3 overs.
Kapp started the rot, beginning with a double-wicket maiden: she bowled Amy Jones with a nip‑backer – the ball of the day – before Heather Knight flailed at one outside off‑stump that she could easily have left and chopped on to her own stumps.
Kapp’s next over was another maiden; after two more, she was forced off the field with cramp. By the time she returned to the attack, Alice Capsey had struck a maiden one-day international fifty and added 107 for the fourth wicket with Nat Sciver‑Brunt.
But Kapp, the queen of seam, extracted both-ways movement off the pitch to dismiss Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean, all nicking off behind the stumps – the last two in successive balls.
Sophie Ecclestone successfully defended the next ball, so Kapp’s hat‑trick will have to wait for another day; but the chance to play in a World Cup final seems a reasonable consolation prize. South Africa will play either Australia or India in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, pending the result of the second semi-final on Thursday.
Wolvaardt’s history‑making knock came after England had asked South Africa to bat, no doubt buoyed up by memories of bowling their opponents out for 69 on the same ground three‑and‑a‑half weeks ago.
They had spent the buildup waiting nervously to see if Ecclestone would recover in time from her shoulder injury to play a role in this match – Sciver-Brunt and the head coach, Charlotte Edwards, were so desperate that she was included despite wincing with pain during her two spells.
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Their reasoning proved sound: it was Ecclestone’s double-strike in the 23rd over that broke the 116‑run opening stand of Tazmin Brits and Wolvaardt. Brits nutmegged herself attempting the reverse sweep and was bowled between her legs. Then Anneke Bosch – brought back into the side with the specific remit of strengthening South Africa’s batting – came down the track, failed to read Ecclestone’s arm ball and was bowled for a duck.
Three overs later, Suné Luus lost her stumps, swinging wildly at Sciver-Brunt and playing on. Three wickets squandered for three runs in the space of 20 balls, and all of it down to batter error.
Ecclestone returned to remove a dangerous looking Kapp, well held by Charlie Dean at long-on as she tried to go over the top, and Annerie Dercksen gave her a fourth scalp after she, too, mis-executed the reverse, playing into the ground before the ball pinged back off her bat and hit the stumps.
At 202 for six England saw an opening but, with Ecclestone bowled out, Wolvaardt hit out and the door to a World Cup final closed firmly shut.
After the heartbreak of the 2017 and 2022 semi-finals, there was reward at last for two of South African cricket’s greatest servants – Kapp, who became the leading wicket-taker of all time in 50-over World Cup tournaments, and Wolvaardt, who has scored more ODI runs than any other South African woman but who will surely rate her 169 against England as the best of her 5,121.
