Guwahati, Oct 3 (IANS) South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted her side’s batting display was “certainly not the way we wanted to start the tournament” after being bundled out for just 69 and suffering a 10-wicket thrashing against England in their ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 opener in Guwahati.
“Not the best effort with the bat,” Wolvaardt said after the game at the Baraspara Stadium. “I think this team has shown resilience in the past. We will put this behind us and move forward. Obviously, they bowled well with the new ball. Linsey bowled well. We didn’t expect that much swing. Could have played straighter.”
South Africa were left stunned after Linsey Smith (3-7) ripped through their top order with the new ball, dismissing Wolvaardt (5) caught and bowled and Tazmin Brits (5) bowled inside her first two overs. Lauren Bell (1/24) then sent back Sune Luus (2), while Smith struck again to remove Marizanne Kapp (4), reducing the Proteas to 21/4.
From there, the collapse never stopped. By the ninth over, South Africa had lost half their side for just 31. Wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta showed some resistance with 22 from 36 balls, but she was the only batter to reach double figures as the side folded for 69 in 20.4 overs – their second-lowest total in ODI World Cups. Sophie Ecclestone (2-19), Charlie Dean (2-14), and Nat Sciver-Brunt (2-5) shared the rest of the wickets.
Wolvaardt explained that South Africa had tried to mix things up tactically with the ball: “We found that she (Ayabonga Khaka) can be effective for us in the middle overs. So, decided to get the spin early and see how it worked. I think just keep trusting what we have done in the past. We have a good form and a good coaching staff as well. In these types of tournaments, you’ve got to have short memory and move forward.”
England, chasing just 70, made light work of the target. Tammy Beaumont (21* off 35) and Amy Jones (40* off 50) guided them home in the 15th over, sealing a 10-wicket win with 215 balls to spare – England’s fourth-biggest World Cup victory by balls remaining.
Captain Sciver-Brunt hailed her team’s dominant all-round effort. “Massively pleased. It just seemed like everyone were really charged up on the field. It’s a captain’s dream as we bowled really well and also managed to pick wickets at regular intervals,” she said.
On Smith’s impact, Sciver-Brunt added: “She just stuck to her strength, I think. She is a left-arm spinner, but she can swing the ball. We knew that she was a really good matchup to those two batters (SA openers), who obviously scored a lot of runs leading up to this tournament. So, it was important for us to break that partnership early.”
Sciver-Brunt also pointed to England’s depth: “Yeah, absolutely, and Sarah Glenn is on the bench as well. We are really blessed to have so many talented cricketers in our squad, which obviously makes team selection very difficult.”
–IANS
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