South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt continued her stellar form in the final of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup in India and brought up yet another half-century in the tournament, where she’s already the highest scorer.
With her fifty, she went past Alyssa Healy’s record of 509 runs, scored during the 2022 World Cup. Wolvaardt now also has the most 50-plus scores in Women’s World Cups (14), going past Mithali Raj’s record of 13 scores of 50 or more. The astounding part is that she has taken 12 innings fewer than Raj to reach there.
Wolvaardt has had a seismic tournament at the top of the order for South Africa, where she has been the batter around whom the entire team has batted. Her 169 off 143 in the semifinal against England set the date with destiny for the Proteas women in the final. And now, at the biggest stage and in front of a sea of blue at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, she’s batting like a dream in the final of the World Cup.
Her wicket would be very crucial for India, as the South African middle order does have a few weaknesses. Her stellar run at the top has more than compensated for it. It has also allowed the likes of Nadine de Klerk and Chloe Tryon to come down the order and play the kind of cricket that helps them maximise the death overs.
If she bats till the end, there’s no doubt that the team in green would be the one with the trophy in their hands.
Most runs in an edition of the Women’s World Cup
510* – Laura Wolvaardt, 2025
509 – Alyssa Healy, 2022
497 – Rachel Haynes, 2022
456 – Debbie Hockley, 1997
Most 50+ scores in Women’s World Cup
14* – Laura Wolvaardt (24 inns)
13 – Mithali Raj (36 inns)
12 – Debbie Hockley (43 inns)
11 – Charlotte Edwards (28 inns)
