Wolvaardt proud of South Africa’s efforts despite falling short in World Cup final
Media release
Laura Wolvaardt expressed her pride at South Africa's journey during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 following their 52-run loss at the hands of India during the showpiece final in Navi Mumbai.
The Proteas skipper followed up her 169 in the semi-finals with a second-successive century – hitting 101 from 98 balls – during her country’s pursuit of 299.
But South Africa ultimately fell short of their target, being bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs, after Deepti Sharma claimed five for 39 and Shafali Verma picked up two for 36 after the pair had earlier hit half-centuries.
Wolvaardt’s outfit’s campaign has seen heavy losses – notably after being bowled out for just 69 and 97 against England and Australia respectively – mixed with superb victories, such as those over India in the group stages and against Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side in the last four, and the skipper took solace in South Africa's ability to bounce back when required.
“I could not be prouder of this team for the campaign we had,” she said. “[We played] brilliant cricket throughout but [were] outplayed today [by India]. [It is] unfortunate to be on the losing side but we will definitely grow from this.”
When asked about being dismissed cheaply against England and Australia, Wolvaardt continued: “We did so well to put those couple of bad games behind us.
"We were either really good or really bad, but thankfully more of the really good [came through]. [It has been an] amazing tournament for a lot of the players, and [I’m] proud of the resilience we showed.”
Wolvaardt's haul of 571 runs was not just the most at this year’s World Cup, but it is the most ever, breaking Alyssa Healy’s record of 509 set in 2022.
The 26-year-old’s 169 was also the highest individual score of the competition and she spoke about the importance of being able to separate the roles of being a batter and a captain.
She said: “I probably did not have my best year leading into the World Cup and did not start it well. Overthinking, it was not good.
"It is just another game of cricket, trying to separate the two freed me up a bit to play my natural game and then focus on the captaincy at a different time.”
Reflecting on the game, Wolvaardt was pleased with the way her bowlers were able to keep India from scoring more than 300 after Shafali Verma (87) and Smriti Mandhana (45) had got the hosts off to a fast start but cited the regular falling of wickets during South Africa’s chase as crucial to their defeat.
She added: “We were hoping for a little bit more [swing]. There was still something in the pitch, so I still feel it was the right call to bowl.
"We were in it for a lot of the chase but lost too many wickets. I kept checking that scoreboard and India were definitely tracking for 350.
“Our back end [bowling] was amazing, and we have been amazing throughout. We really felt we could chase it. [But Verma] batted excellently. That is the way she plays. When it comes off, she can really hurt teams.”
ENDS