The belief is very strong going into the tournament, says Laura Wolvaardt heading into World Cup

Dubai, Sep 23 (IANS) South Africa's captain, Laura Wolvaardt, said that being entrusted with the responsibility to lead the national team in the Women’s Cricket World Cup is both an exciting challenge and an honour for her.

Expressing gratitude for being given the captaincy for the World Cup, Wolvaardt outlined the differences between leading in T20I and ODI cricket, noting how the 50-over format requires more tactical decisions.

“It’s so special to lead South Africa at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. I captained at the Women’s T20 World Cup last year, but ODI cricket feels very different – there’s more pressure and many more tactical decisions to make. In T20s, once the powerplay is done, the game can be more straightforward but in ODIs, you constantly have to balance when to attack and when to defend. It’s a huge honour and an exciting challenge, and I’m very happy and grateful to lead this side,” Wolvaardt wrote in her column for the ICC.

South Africa reached back-to-back T20 World Cup finals in the previous two editions of the tournament but finished as runners-up after defeats by Australia and New Zealand. However, the Proteas have yet to appear in an ODI World Cup final, with their best results being semi-final finishes in 2000, 2017, and 2022.

Speaking on the team’s preparations for this year’s campaign, Wolvaardt said, “We’ve had good preparation for this tournament and learned a lot of lessons from past ICC events. In the last few ODI World Cups, we made the semi-finals. I remember being part of that first semi-final loss in 2017 – it really hurt the group, but it helped us see that we could compete with the best sides in the world and qualifying for a final one day is more a question of “when” and not “if” it would ever happen. The belief is very strong in our side going into this tournament.”

“We’d like to keep that momentum going, and we'll have to play very good cricket in tough conditions, but I strongly believe that we have a very good squad of 15 players on the plane, so I’m very excited for this tournament,” she added.

Wolvaardt went on to analyse her squad’s strengths while highlighting the key performers on their side and her expectations of them.

“We bat very deep, with a lot of all-rounders giving us different bowling options, which is exciting for me as captain. Our middle order has really fired recently with players like Chloé Tryon, Annerie Dercksen, and Nadine de Klerk finishing games strongly. Marizanne Kapp is one of the best players South Africa has ever had – she always performs in the big moments. Nonkululeko Mlaba has also been phenomenal, and I think she will be crucial in subcontinent conditions. I can’t wait to see her bowl in India especially,” wrote Wolvaardt.

Wolvaardt also noted that playing against teams with some of the finest players will be a challenge, and every opponent will be formidable, but they’ll take it one game at a time, aiming to overcome all the obstacles.

“In subcontinent conditions, the local teams come into the game a lot more. We’ve lost to New Zealand in a World Cup final, and teams like Australia and England are always strong. The most important thing for us is to trust the process and take it one game at a time. You never want to get ahead of yourself – it’s a long tournament with lots of cricket, so staying present and focusing on ourselves is key. Every opponent will be tough, especially in these conditions, where subcontinent players are excellent against spin and their bowlers are very crafty. Teams like Australia, India and New Zealand prepare very well, so there’s never an easy game,” she mentioned.

The 26-year-old thanked the supporters, saying it makes the team proud to have such strong backing from their fans at home.

“To the fans at home – sport has incredible power to unite people in South Africa. The thought of families and friends gathering to watch us play is so special. It makes us proud as a group to know that people are behind us. We want to make our country proud, and we want to make our families proud. Every bit of support motivates us to be a united force on the field and hopefully unite the nation too. We’re very excited, and I hope everyone tunes in to watch us,” she concluded.

-- IANS

vi/