Wolvaardt After Heavy Defeat: ‘We Are Much, Much Better Than 69 All Out’

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has urged her side to quickly move on from their crushing defeat to England in their Women’s World Cup opener, insisting the team is far better than what their performance in Guwahati suggested.

South Africa were skittled for just 69 runs — their third-lowest total in Women’s ODIs — and lost the match by ten wickets. The collapse was triggered by England's left-arm spin attack, with Linsey Smith and Sophie Ecclestone wreaking havoc on a pitch that offered little excuse for such a dramatic batting failure.

“It was just one of those days where everyone went out early, and that happens in cricket sometimes,” Wolvaardt said after the match. “It wasn’t a pitch that we were super foreign to. We’ve spent a lot of time in these conditions in the last couple of months… We are much, much better than 69 all out.”

Prepared, But Poor Execution

South Africa had specifically trained for the challenge posed by left-arm spin. Wolvaardt’s preparation ahead of the match included facing net bowlers simulating the angles and styles of Smith and England seamer Lauren Bell. Their batting coach, Baakier Abrahams, closely oversaw her session, focusing on footwork, shot selection, and head position.

Despite this, Wolvaardt fell to Smith on just the second ball she faced, chipping a return catch. Smith followed up by bowling both Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp with late movement, leaving South Africa 4 for 19 just 31 balls into the match.

“You can't really fault our preparation,” Wolvaardt reflected. “To have that soft dismissal today was very disappointing with all the preparation that we had put in… It’s just one of those days where we played the wrong line for the ball swinging in.”

Middle-Order Woes Continue

Though South Africa have been statistically strong with the bat in recent ODIs — largely due to the prolific opening pair of Wolvaardt and Brits — their middle order remains a concern. Since the start of 2023, South Africa’s No. 3 to No. 6 batters have averaged 28.08, the lowest among all eight teams in the tournament.

However, Wolvaardt defended her teammates, pointing to recent series performances. “Our middle order has actually been better this year than they have ever been. Sune [Luus], Marizanne, Chloe [Tryon], and [Annerie] Dercksen — who didn’t play today — have all contributed well recently. It was just one of those days where both the top and middle order didn’t fire.”

Not Drawing Parallels With Pakistan Defeat

This wasn’t the first recent collapse for South Africa. In their last ODI before the World Cup, they were bowled out for 115 by Pakistan, with left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu taking 6 for 26. But Wolvaardt believes that match offered little in comparison.

“Those were very different conditions,” she said. “In that Pakistan game, there was a lot more turn and we didn’t adapt. Today, it was a total collapse. We just didn’t apply ourselves well enough with the bat.”

Looking Ahead

Despite the dismal start, Wolvaardt remains confident that South Africa can bounce back in the tournament. “As a group, we just need to put it behind us… If we’re going to take that into the next game, it’s going to be a very long tournament for us.”

South Africa will look to make amends when they face New Zealand in Indore on October 6 in their second match of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.