England Women vs South Africa Women, 1st Semi-Final, ICC Womens World Cup 2025 - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Bell to de Klerk, FOUR, nicely done. A slower-ball on a length outside off, de Klerk shuffles across well outside off and scoops it over Amy Jones, beats the slow chase of Ecclestone from short fine

Bell to de Klerk, FOUR, this time she picks it. Another floaty wide line leg-cutter, slower-ball, de Klerk gets forward and lofts over extra-cover, nearly all the way, one bounce over the ropes

Smith to Chloe Tryon, SIX, Dean at long-on fails to judge it properly. She is in from the fence and going back, the ball clears her outstretched hand. It's full on the stumps, Chloe Tryon gets forward to loft and had Dean been right back, she might have caught that, instead she has to backtrack and watches the ball clear her outstretched right hand. Chloe Tryon is all smiles

Smith to Chloe Tryon, leg byes, 1 run, pitches outside the leg-stump, Chloe Tryon flicks and misses, they take a legbye. 300 is up

Smith to Chloe Tryon, FOUR, now opens the off-side up. Chloe Tryon comes down the track and makes room to go over extra-cover, no-one back and that's consecutive fours

Smith to Chloe Tryon, FOUR, tossed up full and across Chloe Tryon who gets forward and swings it over mid-wicket, into the gap and one bounce over the ropes

Bell to Wolvaardt, out Caught by Capsey!! Wolvaardt's magnificent innings ends. The England players come up and shake her hand. It's a slower-ball full outside off, Wolvaardt gets forward to loft and miscues it, simple catch for long-on. Bell pats Wolvaardt on the back and then the England players come to shake her hand. One of the all-time great knocks and surely it has put her side in a dominant position. Wolvaardt c Capsey b Bell 169(143) [4s-20 6s-4]

Bell to Chloe Tryon, FOUR, over mid-off for four. On a length and the leg-cutter again, Chloe Tryon makes room and biffs it over mid-off, sheer muscle that

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, can't bowl there. It's full and down leg, with no deep backward square-leg, asking for trouble, Wolvaardt sweeps and takes an easy four

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, Wolvaardt on fire. It's full on off, Wolvaardt gets low and slogsweeps, flat hit and beats Wyatt-Hodge's attempt to her left at deep mid-wicket

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, more runs. On a length and sliding down middle and leg, Wolvaardt bends her back knee and pulls to the deep backward square-leg fence, the fielders were inside the ring and that was almost a free-hit for Wolvaardt

Smith to Wolvaardt, SIX, 150 now for Wolvaardt. She raises her bat and gets on with it. On a length just outside off, Wolvaardt goes on the back foot and pulls, just has enough to clear the leap of deep mid-wicket, the fielder tried to palm it back, but the ball had enough

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Wolvaardt, SIX, full on middle, Wolvaardt gets forward to heave and times it well, she is dealing in sixes at the moment, flies over deep mid-wicket - another big over - 14 off the over

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Wolvaardt, FOUR, full and cross-seam on middle and leg, Wolvaardt clears her front leg and heaves, into the gap and wide of deep mid-wicket, problems for England now

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, 1 run, fired full on the stumps, Wolvaardt makes room and drives to long-on

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, FOUR, Wolvaardt opens the off-side up. She again backs away and this is tossed up and slower on off, she gets forward to loft over extra-cover, so nicely played

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, FOUR, tough chance and Dunkley on the dive at deep mid-wicket drops. It's full and outside the leg-stump, Wolvaardt backs away and thrashes it flat, Dunkley moved and went with two hands, but it bursts through, runs away for four too

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Wolvaardt, FOUR, Wolvaardt turning it on now. On a short of length on the stumps, she goes on the back foot and pulls flat, to the deep backward square-leg fence, swivelled and put it away into the gap, Beaumont had no chance to her right

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Wolvaardt, SIX, back of the hand slower-ball on a length outside off, Wolvaardt gets forward and heaves across the line, good connection and it clears the deep mid-wicket fence, just had enough

Ecclestone to Chloe Tryon, no run, on a length and on the pads, Chloe Tryon flicks and misses, Ecclestone is interested in an LBW, but NSB is not. Yet NSB takes it. Looks like this is sliding down. Rapped on the pads above the kneeroll. No bat and we move on to ball-tracking. Impact is ump's call and missing leg-stump. Poor review that

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, SIX, in the slot and smashed over wide long-on. It's tossed up full on middle, Wolvaardt gets forward and lofts cleanly, way back into the stands

Ecclestone to Wolvaardt, FOUR, now she gets it away. Full and down leg, Wolvaardt sweeps and beats Bell at backward square-leg to her right, was a poor delivery and Wolvaardt hit it along the ground

Ecclestone to Annerie Dercksen, out Bowled!! Another reverse-sweep and another wicket. On off, full, Annerie Dercksen goes for a big reverse-sweep and drags it back on to off-stump. Ecclestone has four and South Africa continue to lose wickets. Dercksen struggled to get going and falls to a low score. Replays show that Dercksen hit it back on to the stumps as she was following through with the shot. That's unlucky. Annerie Dercksen b Ecclestone 4(14)

Bell to Wolvaardt, 2 runs, 100 for Wolvaardt. She has been the form player for her side and she has come up trumps on the big night. What a time to get your first World Cup hundred too. The entire South African contingent are up on their feet to applaud. She gets there with a push wide of third man to a length ball on off, ran hard and took on Linsey Smith to come back. She removes the helmet and then raises the bat, hugs Annerie Dercksen and there's a smile on her face. Fine hundred and she looked in great nick right from the start today, but she knows she has to kick on and be there till the end for her side

Bell to Sinalo Jafta, out Bowled!! Cleaned up. Bell comes back and gets Sinalo Jafta. Wobble-seam delivery, on a good length, Sinalo Jafta has no feet, defends down the wrong line, past the outside-edge and falls on middle and off. The ball didn't do anything great, just that Jafta played down the wrong line. England fighting back with wickets. Sinalo Jafta b Bell 1(4)

Ecclestone to Kapp, out Caught by Charlie Dean!! Kapp holes out. Just when South Africa were tightening the screws, they lose a wicket. It's tossed up full on off, Kapp gets forward to loft, skies it and Dean at mid-on reverse-cups with ease. She judged that well. Good knock from Kapp but now it has ended. Once again Ecclestone with the wicket. Kapp c Charlie Dean b Ecclestone 42(33) [4s-4 6s-1]

Ecclestone to Kapp, FOUR, she is driving so well. A nicely tossed up half-volley outside off, Kapp gets forward and laces the drive, no chance for the diving Beaumont at sweeper cover to her right, right off the middle of the bat

Charlie Dean to Kapp, 1 run, tremendous effort from Bell at backward square-leg. She palms it with her left hand and almost catches it with her right. But it goes down. A half-hearted paddle from Kapp, in the air and going away from Bell, she moves and sticks a left hand out, almost pulls off a blinder. She seems to have winded herself and there's a break in play

Capsey to Wolvaardt, FOUR, dragged down and even though it kept a tad low on the stumps, Wolvaardt pulls it away, goes on the back foot and gets it wide of the dive of Bell at backward square-leg, no protection in the deep and it's four

Charlie Dean to Kapp, SIX, with the spin and six over mid-wicket. It's tossed up full on middle, Kapp gets forward and lofts so clean, bent her back knee and smashed it, flies all the way

Smith to Kapp, 1 run, tossed up full on the stumps, Kapp gets forward to drive it firmly to long-on

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, FOUR, Wolvaardt comes down the track and takes it on the full, drives wide of cover and no chance for long-off to her left, races away

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Kapp, FOUR, lovely drive. Full outside off, Kapp gets forward and extends the hands through the drive, races away wide of cover, that was hit so sweetly

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Kapp, FOUR, short of length outside off, width and Kapp slashes it away, no slip and the thick outside-edge flies away fine to the third man fence

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Kapp, FOUR, half-volley outside off, Kapp gets forward and nails the drive between cover and extra-cover, a gift for Kapp first up and she doesn't miss out

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Luus, out Bowled!! Now Luus goes and South Africa lose three wickets in a hurry. A slower-ball off-cutter outside off, Luus goes for the pull, only manages a thick inside-edge that goes back on to the stumps. Nat Sciver-Brunt's move to get herself back on has worked. The length was not there and still Luus went through with the shot. Luus b Nat Sciver-Brunt 1(6)

Ecclestone to Bosch, out Bowled!! Two in the over and Bosch yorks herself. She comes down the track and it's too full on off, can't squeeze it out, the off-stump is pegged back. Cleverly bowled by Ecclestone, she might have seen Bosch coming down, fires it very full and it goes under the bat. Bosch b Ecclestone 0(3)

Ecclestone to Tazmin Brits, out Bowled!! Tazmin Brits falls to the reverse-sweep. Too cute and that brings about the first wicket. It's slower and tossed up full on middle, Brits reverse-sweeps and it's a thin under-edge that nutmegs her and falls on the stumps. May have brushed the pad on the way too after the under-edge. Ecclestone strikes. Tazmin Brits b Ecclestone 45(65) [4s-6 6s-1]

Bell to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, Tazmin Brits on the charge. She steps out and then drills the full delivery past the bowler, past the umpire too, races away

Ecclestone to Tazmin Brits, SIX, superb hit. It's slower and tossed up full outside off, Tazmin Brits comes down the track and waits to loft, clean strike and it flies over long-on, was not to the pitch of the ball but still went through with it

Ecclestone to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, 100 up for South Africa. Brits gets down on one knee, picks the full ball from outside off and plays a cheeky paddle that races past short fine's right

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, FOUR, back-to-back boundaries for Wolvaardt. She leans on the front foot and spanks the full ball all along the ground in the gap through extra cover

Charlie Dean to Wolvaardt, FOUR, full and just outside off, Wolvaardt was quick to dance down the wicket and slap the drive past the outstretched left hand of the bowler...

Ecclestone to Wolvaardt, 1 run, Wolvaardt brings up her 4th half-century of the tournament with a drive to sweeper cover

Ecclestone to Wolvaardt, FOUR, full and slipping down the leg-side, Wolvaardt becomes the 6th player to claim 5000 WODI runs with a sweep to the fine leg fence. She is the second quickest after Smriti to get there...

Charlie Dean to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, does it again! Saunters out of her crease, gets close to the pitch of the delivery and lofts the drive over the leaping right hand of mid-off. Perfect timing on that...

Smith to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, charges out of her crease, gets close to the pitch of the delivery and smashes it back over the bowler's head with absolute disdain. Excellent start this for South Africa...

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, once again it is the driving length for Wolvaardt. Ample width as well for the skipper who smokes it past the diving right hand of cover

Nat Sciver-Brunt to Wolvaardt, FOUR, too full and the width is too tempting to miss out. Wolvaardt bends her back knee and smacks the cover of that delivery with an eye-pleasing drive square on the off-side

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, back-to-back boundaries as Wolvaardt punches it through covers and finds the gap. It was short and Wolvaardt went deep inside the crease to get her placement right...

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, a full toss by Smith and Wolvaardt drilled it through covers for four runs

Bell to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, plenty of width on this length delivery, Brits uses the depth of the crease to hammer it in the gap wide of cover to her left

Bell to Wolvaardt, 1 run, hesitation - all ends well for South Africa. Wolvaardt tapped it to cover and was a bit tentative in calling for a quick single. Brits decides to take off and a direct hit would have been trouble for her at the batting end. Not to be...

Bell to Tazmin Brits, FOUR, dropped. That was tough chance. 110ks pitched up outside off, Brits came dancing down the wicket and drilled it back at the bowler to her left. Bell reacted well, got both hands but the ball never stuck. Just flicked her palms and raced away past mid-off's right

Smith to Wolvaardt, FOUR, flat and wide of off stump, Wolvaardt feasts on the width with a cracking punch-drive through covers. Right in the gap between backward point and cover...

Bell to Wolvaardt, FOUR, back-to-back boundaries for the skipper. Full and swinging away late wide of off, Wolvaardt throws her hands on the drive and ekes out a thick edge that flies away past the slip and to the third man fence

Bell to Wolvaardt, FOUR, nailed through extra cover. Pitched up and very minimal movement away from the right-hander, Wolvaardt leans across and shows full face of the bat on the drive on the off-side