Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt thriving ahead of T20 World Cup

The 25-year-old was ranked number one in the ODI rankings in 2022 following her stellar showing at the ICC Women’s World Cup. 

Speaking to SABC Sport, Wolvaardt says she’s proud to be back among the top names in the world.

"It means a lot. I was at three for a while and then dropped back down after Australia [tour] and now I'm back up to three, so I'm just happy to be back where I was," said Wolvaardt.

"You obviously play games to win games for your country, but it's nice to see that what you're doing is sort of heading in the right direction."

Wolvaardt scored her highest individual score – and the highest by a South African woman in all international formats – with 184 runs off 147 balls in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom earlier this month. 

She says playing more T20 cricket has made it easier for her to achieve big scores.

"I think before my ODI cricket, my strike rate was always the big issue, and I think I was able to bat for long periods of time but I'd only end up being on 70 or 80 when I get to like the 40-over mark," she added.

"And now that I've sort of evolved my game, and played a lot more T20 cricket, I'm able to get to 100 a lot earlier in the innings, and then able to explode from that. So I think, ja, a lot of things are coming together, which is nice."

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