Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt is hoping to shrug off a disappointing tour of Australia when she leads her team into the T20 international series against Sri Lanka starting today at Willowmoore Park in Benoni (6pm start).
Although Wolvaardt performed admirably in the T20I series, where she scored 89 runs and averaged 44.5, the skipper was dismal in the ODI format, where she managed just 7 runs and failed in both innings of the one-off Test match against the Aussies.
This is unlike Wolvaardt, who has been the Proteas’ premier batter for a while.
She is hoping that the glimpse of her capabilities that was on show in the recent Women’s Premier League (WPL) is a sign of more positive returns against Sri Lanka.
“I didn’t have my best series in Australia, especially in the ODIs and the Test match. But I was able to have one or two good knocks in the WPL, so I was very grateful to get a few games over there, and just to have fun and enjoy the experience,” Wolvaardt told the media yesterday.
The skipper has stated that she has worked on a few areas of her game to help yield the intended results.
“What I did differently? I think not too much, which is what’s probably a bit frustrating from a cricketing point of view, because I feel like I didn’t try too much different – I just had a bad Australian series,” she said.
“My focus has been just to sharpen up on some technical things, and overall, I am feeling good, feeling fresh and really enjoyed batting again at the WPL, so looking forward to the series.”
Wolvaardt certainly needs to regain her scoring touch sooner rather than later, especially with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh on the horizon.
“Very crucial,” the skipper said of the importance of the Sri Lanka series.
“We don’t have much cricket left as a group before the World Cup, so these three T20Is are very important, just to try different combinations and to finalise that starting XI that we’d like to have for the World Cup.
“It’s not a series that we’re taking lightly at all. Sri Lanka has been very good in the past couple of months, beating England as well in the T20I series, so we’re going to be looking to start strong, on the front foot.”
#WozaNawe for another thrilling tour as the Proteas Women and Sri Lanka lock horns in 3️⃣ T20Is & 3️⃣ ODIs 🇿🇦🇱🇰
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) February 20, 2024
Let the battle begin from 27 March -17 April 🏏
Book your tickets now at TicketPro ➡️ https://t.co/yMAraLUdHM#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAWvSRIW pic.twitter.com/ONebJJM9t6
Wolvaardt also feels that the team are raring to go after recently being separated, with some players participating in the WPL and others playing for teams back home.
“Obviously it was a mixed bag of results in Australia, with the wins in the T20 and ODI formats, but then obviously we did not finish the tour the way we may have wanted in the Test match,” she said.
“It was very exciting to see everyone again after going our separate ways for a bit.”
Proteas Women’s T20I Squad
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon.
Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa announced the Proteas Women’s contracted squad yesterday for the 2024/25 season, starting on May 1.
The squad has increased from 15 to 16, with Dolphins fast bowler Ayanda Hlubi and Titans all-rounder Eliz-Mari Marx earning their maiden contracts after an impressive debut season.
Proteas Women’s Contracted Squad
Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt.