Laura Wolvaardt and her team will seek to bring the Women’s ODI World Cup home this year, following in the footsteps of the men’s side, who just won the World Test Championship (WTC) for the first time. Laura Wolvaardt has been the team’s leader, scoring runs in all formats on a regular basis.
Under the leadership of Sune Luus, South Africa advanced to the semifinals of the previous Women’s ODI World Cup in 2022. The Proteas placed second in the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups. In the tournament’s 2024 edition, which took place in the United Arab Emirates, Laura Wolvaardt served as captain.
This year, when India and Sri Lanka will co-host the ODI World Cup, South Africa would really like to compete. The eagerly awaited competition will take place between September 30 and November 2. After defeating Pakistan 2-1 in an ODI series in Lahore this month, South Africa is feeling quite confident and will begin their World Cup campaign on October 3.
Laura Wolvaardt thinks it’s just a matter of time until South Africa wins the World Cup. The team has done a good job of preparing for the competition, she claimed.
“We have prepared well for this tournament and have gained valuable knowledge from previous ICC competitions. We have advanced to the semi-finals of the last few ODI World Cups. We have a lot of faith in our ability to win this tournament. India Today cited Wolvaardt as saying, “We want to maintain that momentum, and we’ll have to play excellent cricket in challenging circumstances.”
On September 25 and 28, respectively, South Africa will play two warm-up matches at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo against Bangladesh and Pakistan. On October 3, the Proteas will kick off their World Cup campaign in Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Laura Wolvaardt acknowledged that the team’s mentality was altered by disappointing exits, especially the 2017 semi-final loss.
Being a part of that first semi-final defeat in 2017 was incredibly painful for the team, but it also showed us that we could compete with the world’s top teams. It’s more a matter of “when” than “if” to qualify for a final one day, she thought.
Laura Wolvaardt, meanwhile, ranked seasoned all-around star Marizanne Kapp as one of the greatest South African players ever.
Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, South Africa’s seasoned opening pair, will be relied upon to deliver strong starts throughout the international competition. The British had an incredible performance in Pakistan, scoring 101* (121) and 171* (141) at a strike rate of 103.82 in the first two ODIs. Along with up-and-coming talents Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase, the team also features seasoned veterans Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon.
With players like Chloe Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, and Nadine de Klerk completing games well, our middle order has been playing quite well lately. One of the greatest performers South Africa has ever had is Marizanne Kapp, who consistently delivers in crucial situations. Wolvaardt added, “Nonkululeko Mlaba has also been outstanding, and I believe she will be essential in subcontinent conditions.”
Laura Wolvaardt also clarified why there will be fierce competition at the upcoming World Cup, with formidable teams poised to make an impression.
The local sides are usually risky under these circumstances. India’s strength at home speaks for itself, and we have seen how formidable opponents like Australia and England continue to be. There is no easy game at this level, therefore teams like Australia, India, and New Zealand train hard.
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