ICC Women's WC: SA skipper Wolvaardt re-writes record books as Proteas post 319/7 against England in semifinal

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 29 (ANI): South African captain Laura Wolvaardt tore into the record books with an explosive 169, powering South Africa to 319/7 in the semifinal of the ICC Women's World Cup against England at Guwahati on Wednesday.

Skipper Wolvaardt smashed an epic 169 in just 143 balls, with 20 fours and four sixes, coming at a strike rate of 118.18. It is 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 joins 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)

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 Marizanne 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 (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 tournament's history, with 37 scalps in just 16 innings and overall joint-third-highest-wicket-taker. India's Jhulan Goswami (43 wickets) is the highest-wicket taker in the tournament's history, taking her scalps in 34 matches at an average of over 21. (ANI)

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