Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp lead South Africa to their first ODI World Cup final with a 125-run victory over England (Images via AP) Captain Laura Wolvaardt produced a masterclass with the bat before Marizanne Kapp produced a brilliant five-wicket haul as South Africa beat England by 125 runs to storm into their first ever Women’s World Cup ODI final on Wednesday. Wolvaardt’s superb 169 off 143 balls anchored South Africa to a total of 319/7, securing England’s record semi-final chase. Despite a fighting position in the middle, the four-time champions were bowled out for 194 in 42.3 overs, with Kapp doing the most damage. “It still feels a bit surreal. As a kid you dream of scoring a hundred in a World Cup knockout match,” Wolvaardt said after receiving the Man of the Match award. “Given the context, it probably has to be at the very top, the World Cup semi-final. It’s up there,” she added. After being put in to bat, South Africa got off to a solid start with Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (45) sharing 116 runs for the opening wicket. Sophie Ecclestone led England’s fightback with figures of 4 for 44, stopping South Africa’s pace twice. However, Wolvaardt found able support in Marizanne Kapp (42) as the pair rebuilt for 72 runs. From 202 for six, Wolvaardt’s calculated acceleration – a combination of elegant drives with powerful lifts over mid-wicket – lifted South Africa past the 300-run mark. Her knock included 20 fours and four sixes, bringing up her 150 with a six over midwicket and also taking her past 5000 ODI runs. Late cameos from Chloe Tryon (33*) and Nadine de Klerk (11*) added 117 runs in the last ten overs to ensure a strong finish for the Proteas. Chasing 320, England’s reply faltered early as Kapp struck twice in her opening spell, dismissing Amy Jones and Heather Knight to set the tone. Although Nat Sciver-Brunt (64) and Alice Capsey (50) put together a 107-run stand, Kapp came back to remove Sciver-Brunt, essentially ending England’s resistance.
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Kapp finished with 5 for 20 to seal a memorable victory for South Africa – a performance that also erased memories of their collapse in the league stage against the same opposition.Additionally, this is also South Africa’s first cross-gender participation in a World Cup final, making the win all the more historic. The second semi-final between India and Australia will be played in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
