‘Still feels unreal’: Wolvaardt hails career-best ton as South Africa reach first ODI WC final

South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt was brimming with pride after guiding her side into their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup final, describing her record-breaking century against England in the semifinal as the highlight of her career so far.

Wolvaardt was in imperious touch at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, becoming the first captain ever to score a century in a Women’s World Cup knockout match. Her commanding innings of 169 off just 143 balls powered South Africa to a resounding victory and sealed their place in the tournament decider for the very first time.

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The Proteas’ historic entry into the final comes after back-to-back appearances in the last two ICC Women’s T20 World Cup finals, but Wolvaardt said this achievement surpasses everything she and the team have accomplished in recent years.

“It stills feels a bit unreal,” Wolvaardt said after the match.

“This is something you dream about as a kid, getting a century in a World Cup. It is a very special day and I am so glad we won in the end. We knew the start would be crucial. Tazmin Brits and I have been strong at the top of the order and that feeds into the rest of the order. We knew it was a decent wicket and it was great we got to a big score on a flat pitch.

“I went with the momentum. I know I have the shots in me but I wanted to get to the 40th over to make way for the other girls to whack it. I was happy to get a few leg-side boundaries — I could have gone for that earlier.

“This has to be at the top of my career. To win this against such a strong bowling side, this is right up there,” he added.

Wolvaardt’s batting brilliance was complemented by a stellar all-round display from Marizanne Kapp, who produced one of the finest spells of her career to claim a five-wicket haul. In doing so, Kapp also became the leading wicket-taker in Women’s World Cup history, surpassing India legend Jhulan Goswami.

The veteran all-rounder struck early with the key wickets of Amy Jones and Heather Knight in her first over, before returning to dismiss England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean to complete her five-for.

“Kappie was phenomenal,” Wolvaardt said.

“Amazing to see her bowling like that. What she offers with the bat, she is like a two-in-one player and that is amazing.”

Kapp, who entered the semifinal with just seven wickets in the tournament, admitted she felt the need to step up and deliver when it mattered most.

“To be honest, I probably haven’t had the best World Cup personally,” Kapp noted.

“Coming into this game, I knew I was due a good performance. I feel like the past semifinals I probably haven’t been at my best and have not contributed the way I should have.

“So, I’m really happy that tonight I could make a difference in the result.”

Looking ahead to the final, Kapp said the Proteas were determined to make history by clinching their first-ever World Cup title, while also acknowledging the team’s growth and resilience over the years.

“I am very proud of the girls and the way we’ve been performing over the last couple of years. Not a lot of people gave us or believed in us and look, the job is still not done, but we’ll enjoy tonight,” she said.

Definitely want India in the final

Following South Africa’s emphatic 125-run victory over England in the first semifinal of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, opener Tazmin Brits said she was hoping to face India in the title clash.