England’s campaign at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 came to a disappointing end after a dominant South Africa side, led by Laura Wolvaardt’s majestic 169, sealed their first-ever ODI World Cup final berth. England’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards, reflected on the 1st semi-final defeat, admitting that his side was outplayed by two world-class performers on the day.
“We all witnessed an incredible innings from Laura Wolvaardt. I think any player that gets 160-odd is probably going to be on the winning team more times than not,” Edwards said after the match. “Marizanne Kapp’s spell – I think they were pivotal moments within the game. A lot of credit has to go to the South Africans and how they played. They scored 120 off the back 10 and we lost three wickets in the first five overs. The game turned there.”
England, who won the toss and opted to bowl first, saw South Africa pile up 319, largely due to Wolvaardt’s brilliance and Kapp’s late fireworks. Edwards, however, stood by the decision to chase.
“No, not at all,” she said when asked if bowling first was a mistake. “The wicket stayed the same. The problem was we probably let them get too many. Around 280 was a par score, but they got away from us in the back 10. When you have a player going on 120 and very very well, it’s hard to stop.”
Despite the setback, Charlotte Edwards remained proud of his team’s overall campaign since he took over as head coach earlier this year.
“It was a tight turnaround from when I took over in April, but we had full belief we could be successful,” she said. “I think at the start we said we could beat anyone, but we had to play at our best. We weren’t at our best today and South Africa were. So that’s probably one of the reasons we’re going home early.”
“But there’s been so many positives, I think how the team have played throughout the comp. We’ve shown some real fight. I think some of our younger players have really stepped up and some of our older ones as well. But I think it’s been a real sort of team effort throughout, which is great. But we’ve been part of some fantastic games of cricket as well, so we’ve learned a lot. But ultimately, it’s on today, isn’t it? And we haven’t played quite as well as we would have liked.”
Sophie Ecclestone’s participation had been in doubt due to a shoulder injury, but Edwards praised her resilience after she bowled through pain and claimed four wickets.
“Sophie trained last night, bowled five or six overs and was fine. There was some pain, but it’s a World Cup semi-final, she was desperate to play. Her four-fer today was vital for us and showed what a world-class performer she is.”
Looking ahead, Charlotte Edwards emphasized that England’s immediate focus would shift to the upcoming T20 World Cup cycle, highlighting areas that need improvement.
“The T20 World Cup will be our focus now from when the players come back in December through to the English summer, where we will be playing at home. We will be in various camps to sort through some younger players. Now is not the time to say who’s coming in or going out. It’s a time for reflecting. There’s been some good stuff and things we need to improve.”
On the decision to bring Danni Wyatt-Hodge into the XI for the semi-final, Edwards said she had no regrets. “I’m really comfortable with that call. Emma Lamb, Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey had performed brilliantly coming into this tournament and I’m not the type of coach who’s just going to keep swapping and changing.
“We knew Danni Wyatt-Hodge has played 300 games for England so we knew she could fit right in and she showed today that she can just zip into that position. People will look at that and think maybe we should have brought her in earlier. But we got to this point in the tournament and we’re really comfortable with the selections we’ve made throughout.”
Pressed on where exactly the game slipped away, Charlotte Edwards pointed to key phases that tilted the balance South Africa’s way.
“The game was lost probably in the back 15 overs,” she said. “We all witnessed a world-class innings from Laura Wolvaardt, that was probably a pivotal moment, and, obviously the first few overs with the ball, Marizanne Kapp. You’ve got two world cup performers stepping up on the big stage. Our death bowling and our first 10 batting, untimely being quite critical in this game.”
Charlotte Edwards also acknowledged England’s lack of left-hand options but assured that the future pipeline looks promising. “We all want to have left-handers, we’re gonna have left-handers ready and raring to go. We’ve got a number of left-handers in our performance squad back home, who we’ll be looking at over the next six months and working very hard with.”
“I think we’ve got to keep improving in all aspects. What I have been really pleased with is our fielding throughout this competition. I think that’s been a real area of improvement for us as a team. Our batting has to improve in terms of the middle order and playing against spin. We also need to look at our bowling across phases. I think we’ve not put a whole game together as a team, and that’s something we’ll be going away looking at.”
For now, England’s World Cup dream ends with lessons to carry forward, a reflection of transition, untapped potential, and a need for sharper execution under pressure.
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