Fans in India went into a frenzy after what appeared to be South African women’s cricket team captain Laura Wolvaardt congratulated Team India on X (formerly Twitter) — but it later turned out to be a fake account.
The account, operating under the handle @IDFMAGA, posted a message thanking and congratulating India for their victory in the ICC Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. India lifted their maiden Women’s World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Batting first, India posted 298/7, powered by half-centuries from Shafali Verma (87) and Deepti Sharma (58). In reply, Wolvaardt led South Africa’s chase with a brilliant 101 off 98 balls, but her side was bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs.
Her fighting knock earned admiration from Indian fans, who flooded X with praise — unfortunately, many directed their messages to the fake account.
“Laura Wolvaardt, you have our respect,” one user wrote. Another said, “Keep your head high — you and your team were true ambassadors of the game.”
The tweet by the impersonator garnered nearly 7 lakh views and over 1,500 comments, with only a handful realizing it wasn’t Wolvaardt’s verified profile. Warnings from users pointing out the fake handle were largely lost amid the flood of congratulatory posts.
Wolvaardt’s Record-Breaking Knock
Despite the social media mix-up, Wolvaardt’s innings was one for the history books. Her 101 made her only the second player—after Australia’s Alyssa Healy (2022)—to score centuries in both the semi-final and final of a single World Cup.
She also joined an elite list with five 50-plus scores in one edition, alongside Ellyse Perry (2017), Debbie Hockley, and herself (2022).
The 26-year-old finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament, amassing 571 runs in 9 innings at an average of 71.37, including two centuries and three fifties.
With this, Wolvaardt now stands among the all-time greats of women’s cricket, having scored 1,328 runs in 24 World Cup matches, closing in on New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley’s record of 1,501 runs. She also now holds the record for the most 50-plus scores in Women’s World Cup history (14), surpassing icons like Mithali Raj, Hockley, and Charlotte Edwards.
The account, operating under the handle @IDFMAGA, posted a message thanking and congratulating India for their victory in the ICC Women’s World Cup final on Sunday. India lifted their maiden Women’s World Cup title with a 52-run win over South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Batting first, India posted 298/7, powered by half-centuries from Shafali Verma (87) and Deepti Sharma (58). In reply, Wolvaardt led South Africa’s chase with a brilliant 101 off 98 balls, but her side was bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs.
Her fighting knock earned admiration from Indian fans, who flooded X with praise — unfortunately, many directed their messages to the fake account.
“Laura Wolvaardt, you have our respect,” one user wrote. Another said, “Keep your head high — you and your team were true ambassadors of the game.”
The tweet by the impersonator garnered nearly 7 lakh views and over 1,500 comments, with only a handful realizing it wasn’t Wolvaardt’s verified profile. Warnings from users pointing out the fake handle were largely lost amid the flood of congratulatory posts.
Wolvaardt’s Record-Breaking Knock
Despite the social media mix-up, Wolvaardt’s innings was one for the history books. Her 101 made her only the second player—after Australia’s Alyssa Healy (2022)—to score centuries in both the semi-final and final of a single World Cup.She also joined an elite list with five 50-plus scores in one edition, alongside Ellyse Perry (2017), Debbie Hockley, and herself (2022).
The 26-year-old finished as the highest run-getter of the tournament, amassing 571 runs in 9 innings at an average of 71.37, including two centuries and three fifties.
With this, Wolvaardt now stands among the all-time greats of women’s cricket, having scored 1,328 runs in 24 World Cup matches, closing in on New Zealand legend Debbie Hockley’s record of 1,501 runs. She also now holds the record for the most 50-plus scores in Women’s World Cup history (14), surpassing icons like Mithali Raj, Hockley, and Charlotte Edwards.
