SA put one foot in the semis after seeing off Sri Lanka

South Africa have one foot in the semifinals of the 2025 Women’s World Cup after opening pair Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits produced a sparkling display, demolishing co-hosts Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in Colombo on Friday.

The Proteas cruised to a faultless pursuit of a revised 121 victory target, with 31 balls to spare of their shortened 20-over innings, moving up to second place on the log, a point behind already-qualified Australia.

A win over Pakistan at the same venue on Tuesday would seal the deal for Wolvaardt’s side. The result also leaves winless Sri Lanka staring down the barrel of an early tournament exit, with home advantage counting for little at the rain-ravaged R Premadasa Stadium.

Captain Wolvaardt was delighted to put her side’s top-order troubles to one side, saying: “In a World Cup, it's a bit different, a lot of preparation as a captain. But when I'm out there, I'm just watching the ball and trying to hit it as well as I can.

“We haven't had the best tournament as an opening pair, so it was great to put on a 100-run stand.”

The skipper used her feet smartly from the off, breaking cover from her crease to disrupt the opening pair of Sugandika Kumari and Malki Madara as she negated some hooping swing and skid off the pitch in muggy conditions.

Kavisha Dilhari summed up her nation’s luckless night, pinning Brits on the crease with her first delivery, only for the umpire’s call to save the 34-year-old on review after the original appeal was turned down. Being slapped back over her head for four the very next ball hardly helped, either.

The South African pair snapped straight back into their rhythm, and they broke the back of their chase in the 13th over.

COMPOSURE AND CONFIDENCE

First, Wolvaardt turned a full Kaveesha delivery into a full toss, caning it through cover for four, before repeating the dose through midwicket to bring up her second half-century of the competition. It had taken just 41 balls and thrust her side into the home straight, before Brits joined the party with a pair of booming boundaries of her own down the ground.

And she saved the best for last, crashing her second six of the evening over the ropes to bring up her own 50 and seal victory with more than five overs to spare.

Defeated captain Chamari Athapaththu was phlegmatic about another damaging day for her charges, adding: “The ball was too hard to grip, especially for the spinners. And we are dependent on spin, so we struggled. These kinds of things happened in the middle, unfortunately.

“As a team, we'll stick with our plans in the next game. As a team, we have to play positive and fearless cricket, and we need to take the smart options as a batting unit."

Torrential rain has blighted the World Cup co-hosts throughout the round-robin phase and it was no different here, with the sides earlier forced off for over five hours in what began to look like another lost cause in the Sri Lankan capital.

Having won the toss and elected to bat despite their opponents’ chasing prowess, Sri Lanka had earlier made it to 46-2 when the weather closed in after 12 overs. Masabata Klass claimed both wickets after Vishmi Gunaratne had retired hurt.

A long-awaited return then saw them limp to 105-7, as Nonkululeko Mlaba continued her impressive tournament with a three-wicket haul. It set the Proteas up for what could have been a nervy chase given the state of the log, the soggy conditions and a final-game date with favourites Australia looming, but Wolvaardt and Brits blew it out of the water.

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Ayabonga Khaka, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase. Reserves: Miane Smit

SRI LANKA: Chamari Athapaththu, Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kaveesha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Imesha Dulani, Dewmi Vihanga, Piumi Wathsala, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Dasanayaka, Udeshika Prabodani, Malki Madara, Achini Kulasooriya. Reserve: Inoshi Fernando