Wolvaardt hoping to benefit from WC final pressure on India
What's the story
Ahead of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 final, South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt is hoping for a calm approach to tackle the pressure from a home crowd. The match will be held at D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai, where over 35,000 fans had cheered for India during their semi-final against Australia. The same support is expected when South Africa take on India in the final. Here's more.
Captain's insight
Wolvaardt on crowd support
When asked how South Africa plan to deal with the crowd at a pre-match presser, Wolvaardt said, "Hopefully we win!" "The whole crowd is behind India, probably a sold-out stadium. It definitely puts a lot of pressure on them as they're sort of expected to win. I think it plays in our favour a bit," she said on Saturday in Navi Mumbai.
Quest for victory
'Every game starts from scratch'
Wolvaardt stressed that every cricket game starts from scratch and knockout cricket is different from league cricket. She said, "People can do some very special things in knockout games like Jemimah (Rodrigues) the other night." Despite the similarities between India and South Africa at this historic juncture, a line is drawn: "But South Africa needs it more."
Potential impact
A World Cup win would be huge back home
Wolvaardt said a World Cup victory would be huge for women's cricket in South Africa. She added, "We recently got domestic contracts introduced. So, I can only imagine what something like a World Cup trophy will do back home." The captain's statement highlights the potential influence of their success on future generations of female cricketers in her country.
Final
India take on South Africa in the final
The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 is set to witness a new champion as the Indian women's cricket team takes on South Africa in the final. The match will be played at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on Sunday. India defeated defending champions Australia in the semis with South Africa overpowering England in semi-final 1. According to ESPNcricinfo, India and South Africa have clashed in 34 WODIs. India own a 20-13 win-loss record over South Africa (NR: 1).