Women’s Test cricket remains a rarity, with only 28 matches played in the last two decades. The format has largely been dominated by Australia, England, and India, while teams like West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have been completely absent. South Africa, despite being a Full Member, has played only six Tests in this period, with their only victory coming against the Netherlands in 2007.
South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt believes Test cricket should have a bigger place in the women’s game. “It’s the ultimate form of the game, so I would love to see more of it in the schedule.”
Having made her Test debut in 2022, she recently became just the third player to score a century in all three formats, joining England’s Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont. However, she admits that playing Tests is still a challenge due to the lack of exposure to red-ball cricket. “I love test cricket … it’s definitely a big challenge, something to get used to having not played much of it domestically growing up or any of it for that matter. I really hope there’s more of it in the future.”
England has played 21 Tests in the last 20 years but has managed to win only four. Australia has played 17 Tests and won six, while India has played 11 and also won six. West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have not played a single women’s Test since 2004. Wolvaardt finds this concerning. “It’s very disappointing that these teams haven’t been able to play a test match. Some of the New Zealand players would be very good at test cricket. I hope it’s something that’s in the calendar more.”
One major hurdle for women’s Test cricket is the lack of domestic multi-day competitions. Unlike men’s cricket, where red-ball skills are developed at the domestic level, most women’s teams do not have a similar structure. Wolvaardt acknowledges that franchise leagues like the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India and the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia have been game-changers for the shorter formats.
However, South Africa does not have a women’s T20 league, which she sees as a major gap in their system. “They (Australia) have a great system and setup. They’re obviously far ahead of some other countries development-wise. They’ve had the Big Bash for about 10 years, whereas WPL is still pretty new. We don’t even have a league in South Africa.”
Wolvaardt believes a professional league in South Africa could elevate the country’s overall cricketing depth, much like the WPL has done for India. “You can already see in India with the WPL only being around for three years now, the Indian team is playing better and it’s creating so much more depth for the side. I think we definitely need one in South Africa.”
For now, Wolvaardt’s focus is on South Africa’s upcoming challenges, particularly the Women’s ODI World Cup in India later this year. Having played in the WPL with Gujarat Giants, she believes her experience in India will be valuable preparation. “Whatever time you can get in India, I think is invaluable … it will benefit the players who are here to spend a bit more time in India ahead of the big event.”
Before the World Cup, South Africa will also participate in an ODI tri-series against India and Sri Lanka in April-May. Wolvaardt, who took over the captaincy on a permanent basis last year, is leading a young South African side through a transition phase. “I’m fairly fresh in my captaincy role. We have quite a young group, had a lot of retirements about two or three years ago. It’s been a good process and I’m looking forward to the future.”
A step toward expanding women’s Test cricket came with the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025-2029, which was announced months ago. The FTP includes 15 women’s Tests, the most structured red-ball cycle in recent history. West Indies will return to Test cricket after 24 years, hosting Australia in 2026, playing England at home in 2027, and touring South Africa in 2028.
India will feature in five Tests, hosting Australia and England while also touring England, Australia, and South Africa. South Africa will host Australia for a Test for the first time in 2027 and will also face India and England. However, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka remain absent from the schedule, extending their long absence from the format.
While the ICC’s FTP brings a slight increase in women’s Test matches, Wolvaardt’s concerns remain valid—26 Tests in 20 years is not enough. Without a stronger domestic structure, women’s Test cricket risks remaining an exclusive format for a few nations. With players like Wolvaardt advocating for more opportunities, the hope is that women’s red-ball cricket will see the expansion it has long deserved.
(Quotes sourced from Reuters)
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