South Africa women’s cricket team enter the ODI World Cup 2025 with strong belief in their ability to finally reach the final. Skipper Laura Wolvaardt stressed that the squad has grown from past setbacks and is ready to compete against the world’s best. The Proteas come into the competition after a morale-boosting 2-1 series win away to Pakistan.
“We’ve had good preparation for this tournament and learned a lot of lessons from past ICC events. In the last few ODI World Cups, we made the semi-finals,” Wolvaardt wrote in her column for ICC.
“I remember being part of that first semi-final loss in 2017 – it really hurt the group, but it helped us see that we could compete with the best sides in the world and qualifying for a final one day is more a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ it would ever happen.”
Balanced Squad Gives Proteas Edge
The Proteas will rely on an explosive batting lineup led by Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits at the top. Veteran Marizanne Kapp anchors the all-rounders, while experienced names like Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon add stability. Youngsters Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase bring fresh energy and depth to the unit.
“I strongly believe that we have a very good squad of 15 players. We bat very deep, with a lot of all-rounders giving us different bowling options, which is exciting for me as captain,” Wolvaardt explained.
She also highlighted how the middle order has delivered in recent matches, with Chloé Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, and Nadine de Klerk finishing games strongly. Wolvaardt further praised Marizanne Kapp as a proven match-winner and called Nonkululeko Mlaba’s spin vital for success in subcontinent conditions.
Big Tests Await in Subcontinent
The skipper underlined that conditions in India and Sri Lanka would be challenging for every team and make local sides especially dangerous.
“In these conditions, the local sides are always dangerous. We’ve seen how tough opponents like Australia and England remain, and India’s strength at home speaks for itself. Teams such as Australia, India, and New Zealand prepare meticulously — there’s simply no easy game at this level,” she noted.
South Africa will open their campaign against England in Guwahati on October 3, aiming to start strong on their journey to a maiden ODI World Cup final.
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