Laura Wolvaardt will be looking to arrive at the Cricket World Cup against India
Laura Wolvaardt (left) will aim to overcome her recent batting dip and lead South Africa to victory against India in the Cricket World Cup, crucial for their tournament success. Picture: AFP
Image: AFP
It’s not often that Proteas women’s skipper Laura Wolvaardt endures a lean run with the bat, and after two failures at the Cricket World Cup, she will be hoping to make a statement against hosts India in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
Of course, every Proteas batter failed in their forgettable opener against England when South Africa were bowled out for 69.
Against New Zealand, after a top bowling performance to bowl out the White Ferns for 231, Wolvaardt was out cheaply again as she managed just 14.
In fact, it’s now four matches in a row that Wolvaardt has scored, not made it to 20. Although Wolvaardt scored a century against Pakistan in Lahore on September 19, that remains her only score over 28 in her last nine knocks.
Wolvaardt’s Challenge Against India: A Key to South Africa’s World Cup Success
As one of the stars of the Proteas lineup, this is something of an anomaly for Wolvaardt, who averages 48 in Women’s ODIs, along with her 35 50s and nine centuries.
Against India, Wolvaardt averages 34 at a strike rate of 81 in nine matches.
India, though, have made a perfect start to their World Cup campaign as hosts with convincing victories over co-hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their first two matches.
As skipper, Wolvaardt will be hoping to win the toss and bowling first since her charges were so successful against the Kiwis on Monday. However, if South Africa and Wolvaardt still hold out hope of winning the tournament for the first time, they will have to be able to set a score.
Wolvaardt could certainly set the tone with a big knock up front, and there’s every reason to believe she’s due for a big innings.