Laura Wolvaardt and the Proteas Women have completed their preparations and are eager to kick off their outbound tour with the first T20 International (T20I) against Australia, at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Saturday, 27 January 2024.
Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, Wolvaardt expressed the team’s eagerness to hit the deck running. “Preparation has been really good so far.”
“We spent some time in Sydney, engaging in practice sessions and playing against the Governor-General XI. It’s been a really good week in Australia, and we are ready to go tomorrow,” the skipper said.
“Conditions-wise, it was perfect for the girls to get used to the Aussie conditions. Obviously it is a bit more bouncy here than what we have back at home, so it was good to adjust to conditions, and being out in Australia.”
Proteas Women Captain, Laura Wolvaardt
Wolvaardt – who features as a regular in Australia Women’s Big Bash League and a member of the reigning champions, Adelaide Strikers – provided some insight into the Manuka Oval, and how her experience Down Under will benefit South Africa on the tour.
“It is a beautiful ground. I think it has been quite high-scoring in the past, so I am very excited to get out there and have a hit. It’s been great playing in the WBBL. Hopefully, it bodes well. Being able to play at many of the grounds we’ll be playing at is great, and facing the bowlers that I’ll be facing for a few months at a time, hopefully, I’ll be able to use it to my advantage.”
Speaking about their match against Governor-General XI on Tuesday, Wolvaardt was disappointed that they did not win but felt it was all about getting used to the conditions and seeing what works, where they need to bowl and getting used to the bounce.
History beckons for the South African team as they seek their maiden victory over Australia across all formats. The Proteas enter the T20I series with a record of seven defeats in their previous seven encounters in the shortest format, including the historic ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 final in Cape Town last year.
The last time these two nations faced off in T20I cricket on Australian soil, South Africa suffered a heartbreaking five-run loss via the Duckworth Lewis Stern method in the semi-final of the 2020 World Cup.
Speaking on the difficult task of facing the current double-world champions in their favoured conditions away from home, the 23-year-old batter highlighted the opposition’s ability and outlined what the Proteas team will have to do, to secure their long-awaited first win over Australia in the upcoming series.
“It will be a big challenge. They are the world champions, and it’s their own backyard, but I think we’ve prepared well, and hopefully, it goes alright. They’ve just been very consistent for a long period of time. Playing in the Big Bash, I see how they work, and they work very hard at their skills, so it is well deserved.”
Proteas Women Captain, Laura Wolvaardt
“It is a good challenge for us and to see where we measure. You want to test yourselves against the best in the world. We have had a good couple of series against New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well. So it will be nice to play against the World Champs and see how we do.”
“The Australian team work very hard, and they are very good cricketers, but it’ll just be about us playing our best cricket on the day. I think we’re a very talented group as well, so if we play our best cricket, it should all come together,” Wolvaardt concluded.
Proteas Women Squad (T20I & ODI) – Multi-format Tour to Australia
Laura Wolvaardt (c)
Anneke Bosch
Tazmin Brits
Nadine de Klerk
Mieke de Ridder
Ayanda Hlubi
Sinalo Jafta
Marizanne Kapp
Ayabonga Khaka
Masabata Klaas
Suné Luus
Eliz-Mari Marx
Nonkululeko Mlaba
Chloé Tryon
Delmi Tucker
Australia Squad for the T20I and ODI Series
Alyssa Healy (c)
Darcie Brown
Heather Graham
Ashleigh Gardner
Kim Garth
Grace Harris*
Jess Jonassen
Alana King**
Phoebe Litchfield
Tahlia McGrath
Beth Mooney
Ellyse Perry
Megan Schutt
Annabel Sutherland
Georgia Wareham
*T20s only | **ODIs only
Women’s CommBank T20I Series v South Africa
Warm Up
24 Jan: Governor-General’s XI beat SA XI by 4 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
T20I Series
27 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra 10.45am
28 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra 10.45am
30 Jan: Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.05pm
3 Feb: Adelaide Oval, 2.10pm
ODI Series
7 Feb: North Sydney Oval, 2.40pm
10 Feb: North Sydney Oval, 2.40pm
Only Test
15-18 Feb: WACA Ground, Perth 11.00am
Photo Caption: South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt pictured during training. The captain expressed gratitude for the opportunity the Proteas Women have enjoyed to acclimatise to the Australian conditions. Photo: Laura Wolvaardt on Instagram
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