A disastrous start of one wicket for three runs—the single run being a wide—just about summed up England’s day as they were thrashed by 125 runs by South Africa in the World Cup semi-final. The defeat ends their tournament, while South Africa march on to their first-ever final.
The catastrophic start was courtesy of Marizanne Kapp, who delivered a double-wicket maiden, bowling Amy Jones and Heather Knight for ducks. England’s top three all failed to score.
Kapp, who finished with five for 20, was the destroyer, but the damage had been done by Laura Wolvaardt. The South African captain hit a stunning 169, including an explosive 69 runs off her final 28 balls.
Wolvaardt’s assault, which came after England’s Sophie Ecclestone (four wickets) had given her side hope, pushed the total to 319 for seven.
Despite a maiden ODI fifty from Alice Capsey, England were never in the hunt. Kapp returned to break the 107-run partnership, sealing a historic and dominant victory for the Proteas.
