Women’s World Cup 2025: From enduring horror net session to blowing England away — How South Africa reached final

Two days before the all-important semifinal against England at the ACA Stadium, the South African women’s cricket team had a full evening session in the nets. With heat and humidity adding to the pressure, the Proteas had an evening to forget.

“I probably had one of the worst net sessions of the last 10 years of my career. It ended with me crying. In our first session, all of us lost 10 wickets in the first two overs,” Marizanne Kapp, who eventually scored a 33-ball 42 and took five wickets, said after the fixture.

Tazmin Brits, who made a scratchy but crucial 65-ball 45, recalled batting coach Baakier Abrahams chiding the side for a lack of application.

“Yeah, it wasn’t going great. I think we faced six balls each before Baaks called us and said, ‘This is not looking great. You’re in fight-or-flight mode.’ Everyone was just trying to swing. We needed that talk because we then went back to rotating strike and the basics. Funnily, for the rest of the session, I just blocked and worked on my forward defence,” she said after the game.

“The coach (Mandla Mashimbyi) then told us, ‘Put a price on your wicket.’ Even yesterday’s meeting was about that. He got us all to relax. We were going about things frantically until then. We didn’t talk much about the game. We knew what we had to do, and luckily, it went our way,” Kapp added.

Match-eve training was optional. Mashimbyi towered over his players, overseeing last-minute batting drills with bowling coach Dillon du Preez and Abrahams. Notes were exchanged, suggestions made, but most conversations drifted towards ‘life’, ‘growing up’, and ‘adding value’.

It’s been a historic few years for South African cricket. The women’s team is in its third consecutive final (2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups, 2025 ODI World Cup), while the men have made the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal, the 2024 T20 final, the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal, and won the World Test Championship.

For Laura Wolvaardt’s side, even facing defending champion Australia in the league stage brought its own weight. After being bowled out for 69 by England in the opener, South Africa recovered to go unbeaten until the last group game, when Alana King’s spell dismissed it for 97 in a seven-wicket loss.

That defeat grounded the Proteas.

“We batted first three times and twice it didn’t go well. We’ve spoken about par scores here – what’s manageable if we lose early wickets, and what targets to build toward. That’s what we didn’t do against Australia. We lost wickets but still tried to score 350. If we’d assessed and settled for 260, maybe it would’ve been game on,” said Wolvaardt, who later smashed a match-winning 169 off 143 balls to blow England out of the tournament.

Emotional overthinkers

Wolvaardt comes off as an introverted ‘nerd’ in a team of big emotional personalities. When South Africa lost the T20 World Cup final to New Zealand last year, the images were striking – players weeping in huddles, processing the loss. Wolvaardt stood apart, talking to (the then) interim coach du Preez, still obsessing over a field placement.

Du Preez had shrugged then: “I am worried about her! She’ll probably lie awake for a week replaying it.”

“I think that’s the hardest part for me,” Wolvaardt admitted later. “I like my statistics and think about cricket way too much. When I play badly, I get emotional, but on the field, I try to stay calm. I probably should enjoy the good moments more; I’m a bit hard on myself sometimes,” she said, with the widest smile seen from her this tournament.

The 26-year-old tops this World Cup’s scoring charts with 470 runs at an average of 62.12, just 40 short of Alyssa Healy’s record (509 in 2022). Her runs have been vital given Brits’ all-or-nothing form this season.

“This year, she’s been the one carrying on,” Wolvaardt said. “I haven’t had my best year. Partnerships are key. If you saw today, right before she (Brits) got out, she started scoring faster, and I slowed down a bit. So, it balanced out pretty well.”

Much of Wolvaardt’s leadership rests on faith and responsibility placed on teammates. She may be the lone wolf at times, but she never discounts the pack. That faith unlocked a new gear in her innings despite slogging it out for 48 overs.

“When Kappie and I were batting, the main goal was to get to 40 overs. I kept going because we knew we still had Chloe (Tryon), (Annerie) Dercksen, Nadine (de Klerk) who all have a lot of power. Once I got to the 40th, I felt my job was done. That gave me the freedom to decide just to whack the ball, almost a free hit type thing. They were bowling into my legs. I was just eyeing the gap through long-on and trying to hit hard into that space. It worked, and I kept going knowing there was power left in the shed.”

Kapp is a similar taskmaster, holding herself to brutal standards. She’s had a quiet tournament by her own mark and knew she was due a big one. Snapping up two England wickets in the first over and finishing with five did the trick.

“It’s just about going back to the experience of having been here for so many years, and ultimately that is what wins you semifinals and World Cups. I’ve not always been at my best in past semifinals. I’m happy I made a difference tonight. We love cricket and we love playing for South Africa,” she gleamed.

Written in the stars

When the final English wicket fell in Guwahati, some bowlers – Nonkululeko Mlaba and de Klerk – dropped to the turf in tears. Kapp, in the dugout getting treatment for cramps, stayed uncharacteristically composed, embracing Mashimbyi in a long hug. Cameras caught Tryon looking up and saying, “It’s written in the stars!”

Kapp resonated. “I’ve always been focused on wanting to win a World Cup. This morning, our team doctor came to my room. She prayed for me and told some stories. We were all so calm before heading here. Not a lot of people gave us a chance or believed in us, and look, the job is still not done, but we’ll enjoy tonight.”

For Brits, having a point to prove provided the fuel. “They kept saying how England beats us in every semifinal. Not a nice thing to hear. The last 24 hours were rough for me. We all read comments on social media – you try to stay away, but it gets to you,” she admitted.

Over the course of South Africa’s innings, a huge chunk of school kids went from indifference to steady devotion to the South African cause, much to Brits’ delight, but she remained wary.

“We hope the support continues, but people must know we’re not superhuman. There are ups and downs. Look at [Virat] Kohli. He scored two ducks. People think it’s abnormal to fail. It’s just cricket. Don’t remember the cricketer. Remember the human.”

She knows what a title could mean—respect, compassion, and legacy.

“If you’re not confident, you shouldn’t go. I’ll be happier when we win a World Cup. You don’t want to be average. I was a champion javelin thrower. That was the highest that I could go. Winning a World Cup, that’s the highest you can go as a cricketer.”

Father Time, however, ticks unkindly for South Africa’s golden generation.

“As South Africans, we’re always the underdog, but we keep pushing through. There are a lot of complications with our country, but we’ve made history just by reaching the final. Whether we win or not, we’ve already taken the next step. That’s what we did in 2023 in Cape Town too. Clearly, something’s working,” said Brits.

“There are many of us who won’t play another ODI World Cup. Kappie and Klaasie (Masabata Klaas) have been here 15 years and never won. I’ve only been six, but Kappie and I said, ‘This could be our last ODI World Cup.’ We have to make something happen. We owe it not just to South Africa, but to our own goals.”

Published on Oct 30, 2025