Laura Wolvaardt, the talented South African batter and captain of the South African women’s cricket team, recently achieved a significant milestone by surpassing the 4000 runs milestone in One Day International (ODI) cricket in the ongoing series between India and South Africa.
Wolvaardt showcased her absolute best batting attributes in the second ODI of the 3-match series, playing an amazing inning of 135 runs off 135 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and 3 sixes, and became the youngest batter to reach this milestone. Sadly, her century didn’t come in a winning cause as India Women won the match by a margin of 4 runs.
Youngest to complete 4000 WODI runs:
Laura Wolvaardt – 25y 54d
Stafanie – 26y 124d
Meg Lanning – 29y 309d
Sarah Taylor – 30y 24d
Mithali Raj – 30y 64d
At just 25 years of age, Wolvaardt has established herself as one of the most prolific run-scorers in the game, consistently performing at the highest level and leading her team with remarkable skill and determination. Her achievement of reaching 4,000 ODI runs is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and natural ability, cementing her place as one of the standout batters in the world of women’s cricket.
In ODIs, Laura has incredible numbers overall. Till date, she has played a total of 97 international matches, in which she has scored over 4,000 runs at a strike rate of 71.07. She has also registered 7 magnificent centuries and 32 half-centuries. She made her ODI debut on February 7, 2016, against England Women during the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in Benoni. In this match, she was unable to showcase her batting abilities and unfortunately got out for just 5 runs.
Fast forward to 2023, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced Laura Wolvaardt as their full-time captain of the South African women’s team. She captained the team for the first time against Pakistan, in Karachi, during the South Africa Women’s tour of Pakistan, where South Africa Women registered a huge victory of 127 runs.
Laura registered her highest score of an unbeaten 184 runs for South Africa in ODIs against Sri Lanka during their tour of South Africa in Potchefstroom, only recently. Her maiden One Day International century came against Ireland on August 9, 2016, during South Africa’s tour of Ireland.
With her recent 4,000-run milestone in ODIs, Laura Wolvaardt has etched her name among cricket’s elite batters. The 25-year-old South African captain’s remarkable consistency and skill at the highest level are truly inspiring. Her achievement showcases the rewards of immense hard work and dedication to the game.