We know we can beat England, says Proteas' captain Laura Wolvaardt ahead of World Cup opener

Four years of planning and preparation comes home on Friday when the Proteas open their 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup campaign against England in Guwahati.

It’s a familiar foe with England having defeated the Proteas in consecutive World Cup semifinals in Bristol (2017) and Christchurch (2022). 

Good thing, this is a group game then, for the Proteas actually beat their arch-rivals in the corresponding World Cup fixture four years ago in Mount Manganui. 

“Very excited to get going. Obviously, England are a very strong side, but we really enjoy playing against them in World Cups. I think they've beaten us in the semifinal, the last two editions of this tournament,” Proteas captain Laura Wolvaardt said. 

“But it's a bit of a tricky one because I feel like we've beaten them in the group stages in the past World Cups and then lost to them in the semifinal. So we know as a group, we can beat them, especially in the group stages.

“We’re really keen to get a good start against them. I think being able to beat a team like that early on really sets the tone for the competition. So. I think we've got a really strong group of players here, and I think we've prepared well, and yeah, really looking forward to that game.”

It’s hard to decipher whether the Class of 2025 is indeed stronger than its predecessors. The batting unit certainly seems to be firing, with Wolvaardt and the in-form Tazmin Brits leading the way upfront, followed by a bevy of hard-hitting allrounders such as Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen and Chole Tyron that provides the Proteas with middle-to-lower order depth that has been absent before. 

But the bowling department lacks the cutting edge that was provided by the retired firebrand fast bowler Shabnim Ismail, and the final XI is likely only to feature one specialist spinner in Nonkululeko Mlaba.

Wolvaardt, though, feels the recent tours to Sri Lanka and Pakistan have exposed the team to subcontinental conditions, and allowed both the batting and bowling units to prepare accordingly.

“I think the biggest learnings in that series are probably just how to play spin. Obviously, in much different conditions to what we’re used to back at home. I think especially being nice and proactive with the bat against the spinners in that middle phase,” the skipper said. 

“Similar for our bowlers, I think containing the game a bit better in those middle overs has been big learning curves for us. And then obviously in Pakistan, that third ODI, we got a wicket that was really slow and turning and probably adapted to the conditions as well as we would have liked. So hopefully, if we get something similar, we're able to adapt a bit better to that.”

Adaptation will be of paramount importance during this World Cup. Not only in terms of the surfaces expected, but also the conditions overhead.

“Obviously a lot of rain around, we're going to have to be as adaptable as we can,” Wolvaardt said. “It seems that the apps are quite unpredictable, we don't really know when it's going to rain and if it's going to rain. 

“So I think we'll just have to be able to adapt to the game and be able to adapt to the weather.”

Proteas Women World Cup Squad

Laura Wolvaardt (Captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Chloé Tryon.

Start: 11:30am TV: SuperSport