In the semi-final clash of the Women's ODI World Cup 2025, South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt delivered an exceptional performance against England on Wednesday. She hammered a remarkable 169 runs from just 143 balls, enabling South Africa to post a formidable score of 319/7 in their allotted 50 overs.
Laura's innings was a masterclass of cricket shots, ranging from elegant cover drives to powerful pull shots. Her innings showcased exquisite timing and impeccable footwork, featuring 20 fours and 4 sixes.
Laura Sets New Records
With this stellar show, she claimed several historic milestones. First and foremost, she became the first captain ever to score a century in a Women's World Cup knockout match—a feat unachieved by any captain in semi-finals or finals prior to this.
Additionally, Laura matched the great Indian batter Mithali Raj's record for the most 50+ scores (13) in Women's ODI World Cup history. Impressively, Laura achieved this in just 23 matches, while Mithali took more matches to reach the same milestone.
Moreover, Laura became the highest run-scorer of the 2025 World Cup, amassing 470 runs in 8 matches, with an astounding average of 67, including three half-centuries and one century.
Milestone of 5000 Runs
Another major achievement added to her name as she became the first South African female player to surpass 5000 runs in Women's ODI cricket. This accomplishment places her sixth in the history of Women's ODIs, trailing only behind legends like Mithali Raj, Charlotte Edwards, Suzie Bates, Stafanie Taylor, and Smriti Mandhana.
Laura's sensational innings in this match has drawn comparisons in the cricketing world to Harmanpreet Kaur's iconic 171-run innings in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, where she single-handedly led India to the final against Australia.
