In light of Laura Wolvaardt’s half-century against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup, we take a look at our feature on her from our Women’s World Cup Edition.
Over the past decade, women’s cricket in South Africa has made tremendous strides, which has given the team traction and support from cricket lovers all around the country.
To date, the Momentum Proteas have appeared in three World Cup semi-finals, falling short in 2000, 2017, and 2022.
Along the way, the ladies have etched themselves in the history books after competing in the first-ever T20 competition at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham before playing to a draw against England in their maiden Test match in Taunton.
In saying so, Hilton Moreeng’s side will have another opportunity to correct their World Cup shortcomings this year when they host the Women’s T20 showpiece for the first time on African soil.
One particular player who has been impressive for the team and is eager for the highly anticipated event is the versatile Laura Wolvaardt.
Wolvaardt made her T20 debut in 2016 against Ireland in Dublin and has since scored 849 runs in 43 innings with an average of 28.30.
Speaking exclusively to Cricket Fanatics Magazine, the top-order batter opened up about her career and expressed how excited and thrilled she was to be playing in a home World Cup.
“It’s massive! I think having a home World Cup is something that maybe happens once in your life as a cricketer if you’re lucky, so to be able to play in front of all my family and everyone I know will be special,” Wolvaardt said.
“I’ve never played at Newlands for South Africa, so having that first match at a World Cup is just the cherry on top.”
Wolvaardt, who was born and raised in the Mother City, attended Parklands College and says her first encounter with cricket dates back to the age of five.
She recalls falling in love with the sport instantly after featuring in the boy’s team until grade nine when she discovered girls’ cricket.
“I grew up in Cape Town and went to school at Parklands College, and I was friends with a lot of boys when I was like five years old,” she revealed.
“I used to tag along with them when they would play cricket, and that’s how I fell in love with the game. I just played with boys until about grade nine, and then I finally discovered that other girls play cricket too, and when I was 14, I went to girls’ trails, and the rest is history.”
The rest was indeed history, as two years later, at the tender age of 16, Wolvaardt would receive her first call-up to the national side, making her ODI debut in a seven-wicket loss to England.
She admits that getting her breakthrough early has enabled her to gain experience on the international stage.
“It’s quite a fortunate position to be in because I’m only 23 now, but I’ve played quite a lot of international cricket.
“I mean, to have the experience at my age is quite cool. I think most people only make their debut in their early 20s, so I’m very lucky to have played for South Africa for so long already.”
Wolvaardt, who was named in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year for 2022 after a stellar year, began her career solely focused on ODI cricket. However, when the opportunity to play for the T20 side presented itself, she took it with both hands.
She admits, though, that the transition from 50-over cricket to the shorter format of the game wasn’t easy, and she expressed how delighted she was to be featured in the ICC Women’s TOTY.
“It’s amazing to be part of the team; one of my life goals is to be ICC player of the year one day, so being part of the team is a step in the right direction,” said Wolvaardt.
“I think it’s just nice to know that you’ve been contributing to your team and being recognised on a global level; it’s a nice accolade, and I’m very happy about it.”
The transition from ODI to T20:
“I started my career very much as an ODI player, and there’s a lot I still need to work on to be successful in the T20 game.”
“I worked a lot on my power game, just thinking about different options and different shot options, and it took a little while, but slowly I’m starting to get the hang of T20 cricket.
“It’s not where I want it to be; there are still a couple of things I want to change and add to my game, but I’m happy to be able to contribute to the T20 side as well, and it does help my ODI game as well.”
Wolvaardt, arguably one of the most experienced players entering the World Cup, has not only played in South Africa.
In recent years, she’s spread her wings, featuring in various T20 leagues around the world for the Adelaide Strikers, Velocity, and Northern Superchargers.
She reveals all she’s learned from playing in different countries and how that has helped improve her game.
“It’s always great going to different countries and seeing how they go about their cricket,” she said.
“I’ve learned a lot from the leagues, especially conditions wise because when you spend two months of every year in Australia in the last couple of years, you get to know the conditions quite well, and that certainly helps for future tours over there.
“You get to know the players and get to know how they play their cricket, so that also helps when you have to face them again in international cricket.
“You meet new people, new coaches, and seeing how they go about their business is cool for me; it’s been an amazing experience.”
The Cape Town-born also revealed her interest in being included in the inaugural women’s IPL competition set to begin this year.
However, her main focus now is on the World Cup and helping the team go the extra mile after their previous shortcomings.
“I’m sure everyone wants to be part of the IPL; it looks amazing, but my focus is on the World Cup.
“Our last three campaigns, we made the semi-finals, so to get that far every time and not go the extra mile has been frustrating, but hopefully we’ve been in that position enough now that we don’t mess it up now.
“We’ve identified what went wrong, and hopefully if we find ourselves in the same position, it won’t happen again.”
The Momentum Proteas will kick off their campaign with a clash against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Friday, 19:00.
Wolvaardt urges fans to come out in numbers and come support the showpiece.
“I hope that a lot of people come. I saw the SA20; the vibes look incredible, and I wish I was able to go to some of the games,” she said.
“So, hopefully, we get a similar crowd and a similar atmosphere, it would be special,” she concluded.
