“…I’m incredibly proud. We’ve shown we can compete with the best. This is not the end — just another step in our journey.”
— Laura
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has expressed a mix of heartbreak and pride following her team’s narrow defeat to India in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
Despite the loss, Wolvaardt lauded her team’s remarkable campaign, calling it one of South Africa’s finest World Cup performances.
“I could not be prouder of this team. It’s unfortunate to be on the losing side, but we will definitely grow from this. We played brilliant cricket throughout the tournament but were eventually outplayed by India,” Wolvaardt said after the match.
India claimed the title with a 52-run victory, powered by Shafali Verma’s explosive century, which set the tone for their dominant performance.
Wolvaardt praised Verma’s knock while revealing that veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp had decided to retire from World Cup cricket.
“Shafali batted excellently — that’s just how she plays. When it comes off, she can really hurt teams. As for Kapp, she’s been phenomenal through so many editions. The whole group wanted to win it for her. She’s two players in one — bat and ball — and we’re grateful for everything she’s given South African cricket.”
Reflecting on her own journey as captain, Wolvaardt opened up about finding balance between leadership and batting responsibilities.
“I probably didn’t have my best year leading into the World Cup and overthought things early on. Once I started treating batting and captaincy as separate challenges, I could free myself up to play my natural game,” she explained.
Her personal form spoke volumes. Wolvaardt scored a valiant 101 off 98 balls in the final, ending the tournament as the highest run-getter with 571 runs in nine innings at an average of 71.37 — the most ever in a single Women’s World Cup edition.
She now has 1,328 World Cup runs in 24 matches, just shy of New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley’s long-standing record of 1,501. Wolvaardt also set a new milestone with 14 fifty-plus scores, surpassing icons such as Mithali Raj, Hockley, and Charlotte Edwards.
