Laura Wolvaardt eager to grow in her new role as Proteas captain

Laura Wolvaardt hopes her new role will not only help her grow as a leader but will also improve her performances as a top-order batter, after she was appointed interim captain of the Proteas women’s team yesterday.

Cricket South Africa announced Wolvaardt as the SA squad’s captain for upcoming tours against Pakistan and New Zealand.

The decision to hand her the skipper’s tag came in the wake of Suné Luus recently relinquishing the interim role, while the national federation confirmed vice-captain Chloe Tryon was unavailable for the Pakistan series.

“It’s a massive honour 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,” Wolvaardt said.

“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.”

Experienced player

Wolvaardt, 24, made her international debut at the age of 16 in an ODI against England, and she has since risen to third place on the all-time ODI runs scorer’s list for the Proteas, amassing 3 193 runs at an average of 45.61. 

In T20I cricket, the talented Capetonian has made 53 appearances for the national team, racking up 1 079 runs. She also hit a memorable career-best 66 not out against Bangladesh to help guide the Proteas into the Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals earlier this year.  

“I’ve played a lot of cricket, and hopefully I’m able to use that experience and the knowledge to my advantage when I captain the team,” Wolvaardt said.

The Proteas Women are set to kick off their 2023/24 season with a first ever tour to Pakistan between 1-14 September, followed by a home tour against New Zealand between 24 September and 15 October.