Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 29 : A historic five-wicket haul by all-rounder Marizanne Kapp and a free-flowing century from skipper Laura Wolvaardt helped South Africa secure their moment of redemption after failures in the previous two editions' semifinals, booking a place in the finals of the ICC Women's World Cup, beating England by 125 runs in a one-sided semifinal at Guwahati on Wednesday.
Having lost to England in the semifinals of the 2017 and 2022 editions of the 50-over WC, skipper Wolvaardt (169 in 143 balls, with 20 fours and four sixes) and an all-round Kapp (42 and 5/20) helped Proteas reach their first-ever World Cup final and their third successive title clash after finals of the previous two T20 World Cups, which they lost.
Coming to the match, England won the toss and opted to bowl first. A 116-run stand between Laura and Tazmin Brits (45 in 65 balls, with six fours and a six) started off things for SA. They found themselves in a bit of trouble at 119/3, but the captain and Kapp (42 in 33 balls, with four boundaries and a six) came to the rescue with a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Sophie Ecclestone (4/44), one again reduced SA to 202/6, but the captain's explosive finish towards the end and cameos from Chloe Tryon (33* in 26 balls, with three fours and a six) and Nadine de Klerk (11* in six balls, with two fours) pushed SA to 319/7, the best score for SA in women's WC history and second-highest in knockout match of a women's WC after Australia's 356/5 against England in 2022.
Ecclestone, with her four-wicket haul, levelled Carole Hodges for most wickets by an England bowler in the tournament's history, with 37 scalps in just 16 innings.
In the run-chase of 320 runs, England felt the scoreboard pressure too much as Kapp (5/20) removed Ayabonga Khaka (1/28) reduced England to 1/3, with the top-order of Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight going back to the pavillion without scoring.
Skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt (64 in 76 balls, with six fours and a six) and Alice Capsey (50 in 71 balls, with six fours) stitched a 107-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Kapp and Sunne Luus (1/41) triggered another collapse by dismissing both batters. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (34 in 31 balls, with five fours) and Linsey Smith (27 in 36 balls, with four boundaries) tried to fight for their side's respect, but they were bundled out for 194 in 42.3 overs.
-Wolvaardt re-writes record books with a whirlwind century
The Proteas' captain's 169 the third-highest score by a batter in an ICC Women's World Cup knockout game, behind Australian captain Alyssa Healy (170 against England in the ICC Women's WC 2022 final) and Indian star Harmanpreet Kaur (171* against Australia in the semifinals of the 2017 ICC Women's WC).
This is also the fifth-highest individual score in ICC Women's WC history, with knocks by Harmanpreet, Healy, England's Charlotte Edwards (173* against Ireland in 1997 edition), Sri Lankan star Chamari Athapaththu (178* against Australia in the 2017 edition) and Australian legend Belinda Clark (229* against Denmark in the 1997 edition) being above her knock.
This is also the highest individual score by a South African in a women's WC, outdoing all-rounder Marizanne Kapp's 102 against Pakistan in the 2013 edition of the tournament.
Wolvaardt also became the first South African and overall sixth batter to become a part of the 5,000-run club in women's ODIs. In 118 WODIs and 117 innings, she has made 5,121 runs at an average of 50.20, with 10 centuries and 38 fifties, and a best score of 184*.
She also joined Nat-Sciver Brunt (10 for England), Tammy Beaumont (12 for England), Suzie Bates (13 for New Zealand), Smriti Mandhana (14 for India) and Meg Lanning (15 for Australia) as the sixth member for the 10 or more centuries club in WODIs, first from South Africa.
The Proteas skipper is the top run-getter in the ongoing tournament, with 470 runs in eight innings at an average of 67.91, with a century and three fifties, with a strike rate of almost 98. She has outdone her own record of 433 runs in eight matches, including five fifties in the 2022 edition, to register the best-ever women's WC by a SA player. She has the third-highest runs in a single edition by a batter, below Australian batters Rachel Haynes (497 runs in nine matches in the 2022 edition) and Alyssa Healy (509 runs in nine matches in the 2022 edition)
-Kapp earns her slice of history
Kapp outdid Indian legend Jhulan Goswami (43 wickets in 34 matches at an average of over 21), to become the leading wicket-taker in women's WC history. In 30 matches and 28 innings, the star all-rounder has got 44 scalps at an average of 20.81, with best figures of 5/20.
This is only the third five-wicket haul or more in a Women's WC knockout match, as England's Sophie Ecclestone (6/36 against SA in the 2022 edition semifinals) and Anya Shrubsole (6/46 against India in 2017 final) stand as the top two figures.
This was Kapp's second WC fifer, with the first one coming in 2022 edition, a spell of 5/45 against the same opposition.
She is also the third-highest wicket-taker in ODI history now, with 181 scalps in 161 matches at an average of 23.91 and best score of 5/20. Above her are compatriot Shabnim Ismail (191 wickets in 127 matches) and India's Jhulan (255 wickets in 204 matches).
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