Laura Wolvaardt Grabs a Screamer To Dismiss Lea Tahuhu In SA vs NZ In Women’s World Cup 2025 [WATCH]

‘Was that a bird or a plane? No, it was Laura Wolvaardt flying in the air.‘ The South Africa skipper timed her jump to perfection to send Lea Tahuhu packing in South Africa’s Women’s World Cup fixture against New Zealand. The 26-year-old, who is known to be a live wire on the field, certainly lived up to that expectation.

The catch was taken on the fifth delivery of the 47th over. Nonkululeko Mlaba bowled a half-volley, which was there to be hit. Out of all the places where Lea Tahuhu could have hit it, she ended up finding Laura Wolvaardt at covers. The South African skipper took two steps to her right and plunged into the air, completing a one-handed stunner.

New Zealand were able to get to 231 with 13 balls to spare in their innings. Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday stitched a wonderful 86-run partnership, after New Zealand were reduced to 101/3.

ALSO READ:

• Kwena Maphaka Could Miss Pakistan T20Is After Injury Scare in Domestic First-Class Match
• Why India Chose Shubman Gill Over Shreyas Iyer As ODI Captain
• Bangladesh Anomaly Can Be on PBKS Radar After His T20I Exploits

Why New Zealand Need To Up the Ante?

Apart from skipper Sophie Devine, there isn’t a lot of promise on display from the New Zealand setup. In terms of their batting, the team was slightly better than their outing against Australia in the last game. The Kiwis were able to stitch two vital partnerships in the middle-over phase, which got them to the 231-run summit.

However, Devine would not be able to step up in every single match, and overdependence on their skipper can come to haunt the New Zealand side. Devine scored a promising century in the last match, almost bringing the team close to the finishing line. Her knock of 85 against South Africa today was also the difference between the two sides in the first innings of the match.

All said and done, the catch taken by Laura Wolvaardt will go down as one of the best ever taken in the history of the Women’s World Cup. Though she was in the right position to take the catch, the fact that she reached out with a single hand and maintained her composure to keep the ball in control despite falling down would work in her favour.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.