South Africa Cricket Board appointed Laura Wolvaardt as interim Captain for South Africa Women’s team on Thursday. Wolvaardt will be leading their side in their upcoming series against Pakistan.
Laura Wolvaardt named as Interim Captain for South Africa Women’s Team
Laura Wolvaardt has been appointed for two months and will be leading the side on their tour against Pakistan and the home series against New Zealand. Her position as captain will be reviewed following the conclusion of the New Zealand tour.
Sune Luus had stepped down from captaincy last week. CSA announced its squad for the Pakistan tour recently where the vice-captain Chloe Tryon asked to leave absence for the tour.
Since 2017, Luus has been leading South Africa for 34 ODIs, 34 T20Is, and the test match last year against England. Wolvaardt has been a part of the South African team since 2016 featuring 1 Test, 80 ODIs, and 53 T20Is.
The 24-year-old player made her international debut at the young age of 16 in an ODI match against England in February 2016. She became the third all-time ODI run-scorer list for South African women scoring 3193 runs with an average of 45.61 including 29 fifties and three centuries over 80 matches.
After her appointment, Laura was delighted and said, “It’s a massive honor to be offered this position as captain for the next two tours. It’s something that I have always aspired to do, having played in this team for a couple of years.”
“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.”
“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,” said Wolvaardt.
“What I can bring to the role is the experience that I have in the side. I’ve been playing international cricket since I was 16 years old, I know quite a lot of players in the circuit and I’ve been playing in the leagues as well, so I’ve played a lot of cricket in recent years and hopefully, I’m able to use that experience and the knowledge to my advantage when I captain the team.
“I’d like to also think of myself as quite calm and level-headed and that’s probably more of the approach that I try to take on the field as a captain. It is very new to me but I am keen to learn and do everything that I can to do well in the position.”
“I am lucky that I have a couple of senior players within the squad around me as well, who would be able to help me and guide me if I do need help along the way,” Wolvaardt concluded.
CSA Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe wished the young batter and said, “Congratulations to Laura on her appointment as the captain of the Proteas Women’s team for the upcoming tours. Laura’s dedication, leadership acumen, and cricketing prowess have been evident throughout her.”
“The captaincy holds a vital role in shaping the team’s strategy and morale, especially during tours as important as these to Pakistan and at home against New Zealand. Laura’s influence as captain will extend beyond her individual performances as she guides the team toward their goals.
“As the Proteas Women embark on these critical tours, CSA wishes Laura and the entire team the very best. The challenges ahead are immense, but with Laura’s leadership and the team’s collective efforts, they are well-poised to deliver outstanding performances on the field,” Nkwe concluded.
After Van Niekerk‘s retirement from international cricket in March and since then South Africa had been without a full-time captain. She was left out of the World Cup squad for failing the fitness test. However, the board had decided to select the squad with the decision of the coaches.
