Johannesburg, August 24, 2023: Cricket South Africa (CSA) has proudly unveiled Laura Wolvaardt as the interim captain of the Proteas Women’s cricket team. A formidable top-order batswoman, Wolvaardt will take the reins for the upcoming tours against Pakistan and New Zealand.
This appointment follows Suné Luus’s stepping down from her interim captaincy role and the unavailability of vice-captain Chloe Tryon for the Pakistan series. As part of the agreement, Wolvaardt’s leadership role will be reevaluated after the conclusion of the New Zealand tour.
Hailing from the enchanting backdrop of Cape Town’s Table Mountain, the 24-year-old prodigy made her international debut at a mere 16 years of age during an ODI clash against England in February 2016. Since then, Wolvaardt has impressively soared to the third position on the all-time list of ODI runs scorers for Proteas Women. Across 80 matches, she has accumulated an impressive 3,193 runs at an average of 45.61, including 29 fifties and three centuries.
In the realm of T20I cricket, Wolvaardt’s prowess has come to the fore with 1,079 runs and seven half-centuries in 53 appearances for her nation. Notably, her career-best score of 66* against Bangladesh propelled the Proteas to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals earlier this year.
Her meteoric rise has not been confined to international cricket; she has also left her mark in various T20 leagues globally, including the Women’s Big Bash League, The Hundred, and the Women’s Premier League in India.
In response to her appointment, Laura Wolvaardt expressed her excitement, saying, “It’s a massive honor to be offered this position as captain for the next two tours. Having more of a leadership role is something I’ve wanted to take on. It’ll help me as a cricketer and learning to think as a captain on the field will hopefully help my batting as well.”
She went on to emphasize her readiness to contribute in multifaceted ways, stating, “I’m very excited to be able to contribute in another way too, and not just in batting. It still feels surreal at the moment but it will all become more real when I meet up with the team in Pakistan.”
Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s Director of Cricket, applauded Wolvaardt’s appointment, highlighting her dedication, leadership acumen, and cricketing prowess. Nkwe also underscored the significance of the captaincy role in shaping the team’s strategy and morale.
The Proteas Women’s journey in the 2023/24 season is set to begin with a historic tour to Pakistan from September 01 to 14. The tour will comprise a three-match T20 International (T20I) series and a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, all hosted at the National Stadium in Karachi.
With this captaincy transition, CSA expresses its confidence in Wolvaardt’s leadership and wishes her and the entire team success as they gear up for these crucial tours. The challenges ahead are substantial, but with Wolvaardt’s guidance and the team’s collective efforts, they are poised to deliver exceptional performances on the field.
