The now, former South African captain Sune Luus pulled out a shocker when she decided to step down as the captain of the senior South African women’s team just a few days ahead of their first-ever tour to Pakistan.
The 27-year-old all-rounder Sune Luus recently captained South Africa to the finals in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at home in February earlier this year. It was a historic moment in the history of South African cricket as it was their maiden appearance in the finals of a World Cup across the senior men’s or the women’s side. She also led South Africa into the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand in March 2022, forming a major highlight from her captaincy stint for South Africa.
Laura Wolvaardt has represented South Africa in 134 matches across formats so far (80 ODIs, 53 T20Is, and 1 Test). She has scored over 4,000 runs so far across all the formats. She made her International debut for South Africa at the age of 17 on 7th February 2016 in an ODI against England.
“It’s a massive honor to be offered this position as captain for the next two tours. It’s something that I have always aspired to do, having played in this team for a couple of years. Having more of a leadership role is something I’ve wanted to take on. It’ll help me as a cricketer and learning to think as a captain on the field will hopefully help my batting as well.” Laura Wolvaardt looks forward to taking up the leadership role and improving as a cricketer.
The 24-year-old batter Laura Wolwaardt has been named as the interim captain of South Africa. She will be in charge of the side for their upcoming tour to Pakistan, followed by a limited-overs series against New Zealand. The further call will be taken after analyzing the performances of the side after the conclusion of the New Zealand series. However, she has some experience in leading the South African team. In the absence of the then-regular skipper Sune Luus, who was ruled out due to an injury, she not only took up the responsibility but also led South Africa to victory in both matches in an ODI series against India in 2021.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
Laura Wolvaardt to lead the South Africa Women's Cricket Team during the Pakistan tour and the series against New Zealand.#CricketTwitter #PAKvSA pic.twitter.com/evi3MIlPex
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) August 24, 2023
“What I can bring to the role is the experience that I have in the side. I’ve been playing international cricket since I was 16 years old, I know quite a lot of players in the circuit and I’ve been playing in the leagues as well, so I’ve played a lot of cricket in recent years and hopefully, I’m able to use that experience and the knowledge to my advantage when I captain the team.” Laura Wolvaardt looks forward to using the experience she gained from international cricket and the franchise leagues around the world to her advantage.
“Laura’s dedication, leadership acumen, and cricketing prowess have been evident throughout her career. Her ability to stay composed under pressure and her deep understanding of the game make her an ideal candidate to lead the team. Her influence as captain will extend beyond her individual performances as she guides the team towards their goals.” CSA Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe on Laura Wolvaard’s leadership qualities.
(Quotes sourced from Espn Cricinfo)
