Captain Laura Wolvaardt produced a masterclass with the bat before Marizanne Kapp delivered a superb five-wicket haul as South Africa outplayed England by 125 runs to storm into their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup final on Wednesday. Wolvaardt’s magnificent 169 off 143 balls anchored South Africa’s total of 319/7, setting England a record chase in the semifinal. Despite a fighting stand in the middle, the four-time champions were bowled out for 194 in 42.3 overs, with Kapp doing the bulk of the damage. “It still feels a bit unreal. You dream as a kid of scoring a hundred in a World Cup knock-out game,”

Wolvaardt said after receiving the Player of the Match award. “This probably has to be right at the top considering the context, a World Cup semi-final. It is right up there,” she added. After being put in to bat, South Africa got a solid start through Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (45), who shared a 116-run stand for the opening wicket. Sophie Ecclestone led England’s fightback with figures of 4 for 44, twice halting South Africa’s momentum. However, Wolvaardt found able support in Marizanne Kapp (42) as the pair rebuilt with a 72-run partnership. From 202 for six, Wolvaardt’s calculated acceleration — mixing elegant drives with powerful strokes through midwicket — 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 final ten overs, ensuring 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. Though Nat Sciver-Brunt (64) and Alice Capsey (50) stitched together a 107-run stand, Kapp returned to remove Sciver-Brunt, effectively ending England’s resistance.