As South Africa gear up for the first ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-final against England at the Barsapara Stadium, captain Laura Wolvaardt has stressed the importance of composure and self-belief ahead of the high-stakes encounter.
England have historically had the upper hand over South Africa in knockout stages, winning both their previous semi-final meetings in 2017 and 2022 but Wolvaardt remains unfazed by the past. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, she underlined that the focus within the camp is on playing to their strengths and maintaining a positive mindset.
“As a group, we’re really just trying to focus on the positives, sticking to our game plans and doing what we do best,” Wolvaardt said. “If we keep playing the way that we have, we will have a really good shot at winning. It’s a semi-final, anything can happen and if we put our best cricket forward, it’ll be a really good game of cricket.”
Reflecting on her leadership journey, Wolvaardt shared that her priority ahead of the match is ensuring that her team remains calm and composed throughout the 50-over contest. “For me, it’ll just be about keeping everyone as calm as possible. The calmest team out there will most likely win. Fifty overs is a very long time, and it’s very easy to let the pressure of a semi-final get to you,” she said.
“It’s still just a game of cricket; there will be ups and downs within the game. The team that rides those waves the best throughout those 100 overs will come out on top… We’ve really well prepared as a group, so it’s about trusting and believing in that preparation that we’ve done as well.”
South Africa endured a shaky outing in the league stage against England, being bowled out for 69. However, Wolvaardt believes that one off day doesn’t define their batting unit, which has otherwise performed consistently through the tournament.
“We’ve played some really good cricket throughout the tournament. It’s definitely not a skill thing,” she said. “Most of our discussions leading up have been about making sure we’re in the right mental state to play the game, really believing in our preparation, trusting in our skills and what we’ve done before.
“We know as a group that we are really talented and if we stay calm, we have a very good chance of winning. They (England) are under a lot of pressure as well, everyone is in a semi-final, so whoever is able to handle that the best and just keep focusing on the positives that we’ve done right throughout the tournament.”
When asked about South Africa’s struggles batting first in earlier matches, being bowled out for 69 against England and 97 against Australia, Wolvaardt acknowledged that her team has reflected on those challenges and made tactical adjustments. “We’ve batted first three times and twice it didn’t go well,” she admitted.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions on sort of par scores at the ground, talked a lot about the venue and what a par score would be so that even if we do find ourselves in a bit of trouble early, we are able to work towards a target. Mayne that’s what we didn’t do so well in that Australia game, we lost wickets but kept trying to score 350 but should have assessed and get 260 here, it still would be game on.”
Wolvaardt also mentioned that the pitch in Guwahati is expected to play slightly on the slower side, a factor both teams will have to account for. Wolvaardt, who is on the verge of becoming the first South African woman to reach 5000 ODI runs, brushed aside personal milestones, emphasizing that her focus remains on the team’s performance.
“It’s not really something I’ve thought about. Whether it’s tomorrow (semi-final) or in the next game (final), it’s same same,” she said with a smile. “It would be really cool to get there, but that’s definitely not the main thing I’m focusing on.”
With memories of semi-final heartbreaks in 2017 and 2022 still fresh, Wolvaardt is determined to ensure this time is different. However, she insists this South African side is a new, more mature unit ready to embrace the challenge.
“That semi-final loss against England was four years ago, we were a totally different-looking side,” Wolvaardt reflected. “They’ve got a lot of different players as well, so it’s a fresh opportunity and it starts from zero. So, I’m looking to the challenge and hopefully, we are able to learn from those semi-final victories we’ve got and stay a bit calmer under pressure.”
As South Africa prepares to take on the defending champions, Wolvaardt’s words echo the mindset of a leader ready to script history- calm, focused, and quietly confident.
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