Captaincy keeps Wolvaardt in control

Laura Wolvaardt says captaining the Proteas Women is “something that could fit moving forward”.

The 24-year-old’s leadership “test drive” ends with tomorrow’s final T20 International against New Zealand in Benoni.

After that Wolvaardt will take a few more days and hold extra discussions with Proteas interim coach Hilton Moreeng and chief selector Clinton du Preez, before deciding if she wants the job permanently. 

The assessment period, which started amid plenty of controversy ahead of the team’s tour to Pakistan, has gone better than Wolvaardt and her teammates could have expected.

Despite losing all three matches in a closely contested T20 series to Pakistan, they bounced back to win the important ODI series 2-1. The points earned from that triumph count towards the ICC Women’s Championship, which will determine the automatic qualifiers for the 50-over World Cup in 2025.

The same scoreline followed in the home series against New Zealand, also part of the ICC Women’s Championship, with Wolvaardt’s unbeaten 124 in the second match the highlight of that series victory. “So far it has gone better than I expected,” Wolvaardt said of the captaincy.

Her main concern when approached to take on the role was how it would affect her batting. 

South Africa’s run to the final of the T20 World Cup earlier this year illustrated Wolvaardt’s importance as batter; she made half centuries in the final group match against Bangladesh, the semifinal against England and in the final against Australia.

In those three T20s against Pakistan, she was the leading run-scorer but admitted at the time to feeling overwhelmed with the pace of the game, particularly how she managed the use of her bowlers. 

Although three scores below 20 — including a duck in the last ODI against Pakistan — didn’t match her usual standards, she found captaining in the longer format slightly easier. 

I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would

—  Laura Wolvaardt

Against New Zealand she seemed to have found the right balance, making 50 in the first match, which was followed by that match-winning hundred in the second.

“I’ve been able to compartmentalise the two roles. When I bat, I’m just thinking about batting, and as captain in the field, it keeps me in the game a bit more,” she said.

South Africa’s season started in difficult circumstances, with Wolvaardt only being appointed as skipper in an interim role, a few days before the players departed for Pakistan.

She wasn’t even in the country at the time, as she was completing a stint in The Hundred tournament in the UK. 

Her good friend, Sune Luus, who led the team in the T20 World Cup, asked to be relieved of the captaincy, and more recently has also given up bowling leg-spin, choosing to focus on her batting.

In addition, the players had made their unhappiness about the coaching situation known in a letter reportedly sent to Cricket SA. Moreeng, who’s been head coach for over a decade, and whose contract ended in June, was asked to stay on until the end of the year. 

Cricket SA is currently finalising the process of interviews before appointing a permanent coach in the new year. That person’s first assignment will be a difficult tour to Australia. 

Clarification about the captaincy will help  the new coach and the team with its preparations for that tour which will include a Test match.

“I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” Wolvaardt said of captaining the Proteas. 

Besides some teammates and members of management, she also sought advice from her parents. “They watch most of the games and know me pretty well.

“I’ve been speaking to them, and they sometimes know how I feel even before I do. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity, it’s something that is helping me as a cricketer,” she said.