NEW DELHI: Captain Laura Wolvaardt produced a masterclass in batting, powering South Africa to a formidable 319 for seven with a stunning 169 off 143 balls in the ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal against England in Guwahati on Wednesday. Her brilliant knock neutralized the impact of two mini-collapses triggered by left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone.

Wolvaardt’s heroics ensured that England would need to chase a record total in a World Cup semi-final.

Asked to bat first, South Africa got off to a strong start with a 116-run partnership between Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits (45 off 65). However, Ecclestone (4/44) struck twice in the 23rd over, momentarily halting South Africa’s scoring momentum.

A 72-run stand between Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp (42 off 33) followed before Ecclestone broke a threatening partnership once gain. At 202 for six, South Africa seemed to be heading for a below par total but Wolvaardt took her sublime game to the next level to fire her team past the 300-run mark.

The first half of her innings was a lot about her regal drives through the off-side before she targeted the midwicket boundary against the England pacers and spinners to ensure South Africa regained the momentum. Her innings comprised 17 fours and three maximums.

Wolvaardt, who has 184 as her highest ODI score, took left-arm spinner Linsey Smith to the cleaners in the 47th over yielding 20 runs. Batting with a widish stance, Wolvaardt was quick to dispatch balls on the leg-side. She brought up her 150 with a six over mid-wicket and also completed 5000 ODI during the course of her marathon knock.

Chloe Tryon (33 not out off 26) and Nadine de Klerk (11 not out off 6) did the needful towards the end of the innings. The last 10 overs yielded 117 runs for the Proteas women.

Their batting performance was a far cry from their 69 all out against the same opponent in the league stage of the tournament.

(With PTI Inputs)