Source: BBC Cricket
Same old story or have England improved under Edwards?To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedMedia caption,Wolvaardt and Kapp lead South Africa to final in massive win over EnglandByFfion WynneBBC Sport Journalist in GuwahatiPublished29 October 2025912 CommentsOn the surface, England’s World Cup exit at the semi-final stage is the same old story.Relatively smooth sailing through the group stage, resulting in an increase in confidence, only for it to fall apart under pressure once more.We’ve been here before: Birmingham 2022, Cape Town 2023, Dubai 2024, Australia 2025.South Africa’s glory in Guwahati can be added to the list, but it will need an asterisk next to it.England were outplayed rather than buckling under the pressure – the headline act being Laura Wolvaardt’s staggeringly brilliant 169 from 143 balls, a captain’s innings of class that we will be gushing over for years to come.It was chanceless, and though England were guilty of bowling too wide in the powerplay to allow her a flying start, Wolvaardt never faltered, even when the bowlers improved and tightened their grip.Instead, the Proteas skipper settled in and made sure she was there at the end to help her side pummel 117 runs in the final 10 overs against a weary attack wilting in the hostile humidity.It was a masterclass withechoes of Alyssa Healy’s 170 in Christchurch four years ago.This was Wolvaardt’s day, and nobody was stopping her.Was this result really a surprise?To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedMedia caption,’Absolutely staggering!’ – England’s top three batters all dismissed for a duckCharlotte Edwards has been England’s head coach for six months, and she inherited a team drained of confidence after the 16-0 Ashes drubbing.It was never going to be a quick fix, as she admitted after the game while cutting a despondent figure in her media duties.Was Edwards scrambling for excuses when faced with television, radio and written journalists moments after the biggest disappointment of her short tenure?Absolutely not – she was more than willing to display her disappointment. In fact, she was keen to let the sinking feeling she felt sit uneasily with her players too.”I haven’t spoken to the players, I’m keeping away from them at the moment,” she said.But while there are caveats to England’s general direction, this particular game was another example of a sub-par performance in a crunch situation, and in a match where manyhad them as clear favourites.They had beaten South Africa in their tournament opener by skittling the Proteas for 69, and have an exceptional record against them in ODIs – it was 36-10 in England’s favour before this, including two semi-final wins at the two previous World Cups.England came into the game confident after thrashing New Zealand, while their opponents had been bowled out for 97 by Australia.It was set up for them nicely, even more so when th…
Published: 2025-10-29T20:46:14
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