New Delhi:With the Women’s T20 World Cup on the horizon, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt is eyeing to go where no South African team has gone in white-ball cricket. The South Africa women have suffered heartbreak in successive T20 World Cup finals and the ODI World Cup title decider and are aiming to become the first Proteas team, male or female, to be crowned a white-ball World Cup winner.
Wolvaardt is looking forward to the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 12 in England, with the goal of going one step further and all the way this time after taking confidence from their series win over India. “Reaching consecutive T20 World Cup finals has obviously been very special for us as a team, but I think it has also made us even hungrier to take one step further,” Wolvaardt wrote in her column for the ICC.
“The India series was another good test against one of the best sides in the world. Winning that series gave the group a lot of confidence, but more importantly showed the ability and resilience within the squad. "Different players came forward at different times and that's what you need at a World Cup," she said.
They are comfortable with South AfricaSouth Africa have had great preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup. They beat New Zealand 4-1 and Pakistan 2-1 before thrashing India 4-1. “The preparation has been really good so far. We had a long run of cricket coming into the World Cup especially with the tours against New Zealand and India and I think those series gave us a great opportunity to test ourselves in different situations.
"The conditions, our execution or the opposition, the New Zealand tour was a challenge for us in many ways," she said. Those tours gave her team the confidence they needed to go in the right direction, she said. “I think those tours also confirmed that we’re on the right track as a team. “We’ve been really focused on being consistent the last year, and there’s a strong belief in the group of what we’re capable of,” said the coach.
Ismail return a lift . Valuable experienced players . Wolvaardt’sMeanwhile, Proteas captain was happy with the experience she has in the squad with eight players from the 2017 World Cup taking part in this tournament. "I think it's definitely valuable for us to have eight players in the squad who were part of that 2017 World Cup. “Experience is a big thing in tournaments like these, especially when you come up against pressure situations or difficult moments during the competition.
“There is so much international cricket under the belt of players like Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka and Dane van Niekerk, and they bring a lot of calmness and leadership to the group. She also spoke about the return of fast-bowler Shabnim Ismail.
“And then of course it’s very exciting for us to have Shabnim Ismail back. Everyone knows the quality and experience she brings. She is one of the best fast bowlers in the world and someone who can change a game very quickly.
"She brings a level of gees (Afrikaans word for vibe) to the group apart from her skill and I know the team is really happy to have her back in Proteas colours again, hopefully to help us go that one step further and lift the trophy," she added.
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