It was a night where history finally bent to the will of the South African women’s team. After the heartbreak of three previous World Cup semi-final defeats, two of them at the hands of England, the Proteas not only won, but spectacularly dominated their rivals by 125 runs to reach their first-ever ODI World Cup Final.

The victory was scripted by the two pillars of their team, both finding spectacular personal redemption on the game’s biggest stage:

Captain Laura Wolvaardt: The stylish batter transcended her own already-great career with a monumental 169-run innings a flawless display that Wolvaardt herself called her “top knock” given the context of a World Cup knockout. She led from the front, setting a formidable target of 319 for seven.

The Queen of Seam, Marizanne Kapp: Having felt she hadn’t “contributed the way I should have” in past semi-finals, Kapp unleashed a devastating opening spell. She took five wickets for just 20 runs (5/20), including the crucial scalps of three top-order batters for ducks, effectively ending England’s chase before it even began.

The result was a total reversal of their recent humiliation against the same team at the same venue, where they were bowled out for just 69.

South Africa’s golden generation has finally broken the semi-final curse and now awaits the winner of the clash between India and the undefeated Australia for the World Cup final on Sunday.