Laura Wolvaardt breaks Mithali Raj's record with World Cup century
What's the story
South African cricket captain Laura Wolvaardt made history by scoring a century in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025. Her remarkable knock of 169 runs against England at Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium was her first-ever World Cup century. With this achievement, she has become the first captain in the tournament's 53-year history to score a century in a knockout match. Her brilliance meant SA posted 319/7 while batting first and later won by 125 runs.
Record-breaking feat
Wolvaardt surpasses Mithali's previous best
Wolvaardt's innings not only helped South Africa post a massive total of 319 but also broke Indian cricket legend Mithali Raj's record for the highest score by a captain in a Women's World Cup knockout match. Raj had scored an unbeaten 91 against New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2005 tournament, which was the previous best by any skipper in these stages.
Milestone match
Other records broken by Wolvaardt
Wolvaardt's innings also saw her equal Mithali's record for the most 50+ scores in Women's World Cups. The South African captain has now reached the milestone of 13 50+ scores in World Cups, including a dozen half-centuries before this maiden World Cup ton. With this knock, she also became the second-fastest to reach the milestone of 5,000 runs in ODI cricket (117 innings), behind India's Smriti Mandhana (112 innings).
Knockout record
Third-highest score in Women's World Cup knockout matches
Wolvaardt's innings of 169 runs came off 143 balls and included 20 fours and four sixes. This is now the third-highest score in a knockout match in Women's World Cup history, after Harmanpreet Kaur's 171 in the semi-final against Australia in 2017 and Alyssa Healy's 170 in the final against England in 2022.
Landmark
Wolvaardt completes 5,000 runs in Women's ODIs
As mentioned, the 26-year-old completed 5,000 runs in WODIs during her stay. She achieved the milestone with her 48th run. Wolvaardt became the 6th batter in WODI history with 5,000 runs. She is also the first from South Africa with this feat. This is now her 10th century in Women's ODIs. She is the 6th batter with 10-plus tons in WODIs.