Laura Wolvaardt: Record-setting South African set for second Women’s World Cup bid

Laura Wolvaardt: Record-setting South African set for second Women’s World Cup bid


“It was a bit of a risk [leaving university] – that’s what made the decision so hard because I guess anything can happen,” she said.

“I could have a bad season and not play much cricket at all. I must say I’m very fortunate with how my career has played out so far, that I get to play in the leagues in different parts of the world and get to be very busy.

“If it were the other way around, I think I’d be a bit upset about just sitting at home and not studying to be a doctor.”

Not that she’s entirely let her books gather dust. She’s doing a BSc in Life Sciences through the University of South Africa, a distance-learning institution.

Her studies have, in fact, proven to be a perfect antidote to counter the boredom and claustrophobia that has had such a major impact on the mental health of many elite sportsmen and women who have had to cope with living in bio-secure bubbles during competition since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

“Because my studies are online I can take my books with me on the tours, which is convenient,” she says with a measure of satisfaction.

The prospect of winning the country’s first senior World Cup is an appealing one for Wolvaardt. It’s an achievement she believes will have reverberations way beyond the team.

“I think it would be massive for women’s cricket as a whole in South Africa. And hopefully it can inspire a lot of young girls back at home to take up the sport. So we’re really trying to try to win it for something greater than ourselves.”

Going into the tournament as the world’s second-ranked ODI team following five consecutive series victories and having batters Lizelle Lee and Wolvaardt and bowlers Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka and Marizanne Kapp all featuring in the top 10 of their respective ICC ODI rankings, the Proteas are well placed to progress beyond the semi-finals, where they faltered in 2000 and 2017.



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