Laura Wolvaardt Archives

Laura Wolvaardt’s ton powers South Africa to series win

GQEBERHA: Skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus hit sparkling centuries to power South Africa women to a series victory over Ireland women here at the St George’s Park, Gqeberha on Tuesday.

Chasing a daunting 376, Ireland were bowled out for 301 in 47.5 overs.

Ireland started poorly in the chase as opener Sarah Forbes went without scoring. As a result, skipper Gaby Lewis and Amy Hunter added 77 for the second wicket to put the chase back on track.

Lewis scored 45 off 52 with the help of eight fours. Following her wicket, Orla Prendergast and Amy Hunter kept Ireland in the hunt with a 93-run partnership.

The duo’s batting brought the scoring to 170 in 29.3 before Hunter’s removal dented the chase. Hunter managed to score 64 from 66 balls.

With the asking rate rising, it was already an uphill task for Irish batters despite Prendergast remaining battling out till the 40th over.

She was eventually dismissed for a well-made 97 from 86 balls, laced with 10 fours and two sixes.

For South Africa, Leah Jones remained the standout bowler, taking three wickets while Nondumiso Shangase and Miane Smit scalped two apiece.

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Earlier, after opting to bat first, South Africa were 59-2 after the first 10 overs before a mammoth 179-run stand between Wolvaardt and Luss brought the score to 238 in 36.5 overs.

The partnership was eventually broken with Wolvaardt’s wicket, who made 124 from 119 balls laced with 19 fours.

Meanwhile, Luss forged another 117 with Dane van Niekerk, which propelled the score over the 350-run mark.

Sune Luss made 114 from 113, striking 13 fours and a six, while Niekerk unleashed a boundary barrage with a quick-fire 88 off just 47 balls. She hit 13 fours and three sixes in her power-packed knock.

For Ireland, Jane Maguire managed to scalp three wickets.

The third ODI will be played on 19 December in Johannesburg.

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South Africa thump Ireland in T20I series opener

CAPE TOWN: Laura Wolvaardt’s sublime century powered South Africa women to a big win over Ireland women here at Newlands Cricket Ground on Friday.

Set a daunting 221, Ireland’s batting lineup faltered under pressure and were skittled for 118 in 18 overs.

The Proteas women inflicted a miserable start on the visitors, reducing them to 4-2 at the end of the first over. Sune Luus picked up both of the opening wickets.

After early hiccups, skipper Gaby Lewis and Leah Paul tried to put chase back on track, adding 42 for the second wicket.

Lewis made 30 from 30 with the help of five boundaries, whereas Paul continued until the first ball of the 11th over.

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Paul scored 34 from 23 balls, striking six fours.

The wicket sparked a collapse Ireland could not recover from, and they ended up losing the match by a big margin of 105 runs.

For South Africa, Sune Luus picked up a four-wicket haul in her quota of four overs.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, South Africa piled up a mammoth 220-2 in their allotted 20 overs.

Skipper Laura Wolvaardt starred with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 115 from 56 balls, studded with four sixes and 15 boundaries.

Sune Luus remained the other notable contributor with 81 off 51 balls, which included 11 fours and a six.

For Ireland, Ava Canning and Jane Maguire picked up one wicket each.

The second T20I of the three-match series will be played on Sunday, 7 December at Paarl.

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Women’s World Cup: Wolvaardt shatters multiple records with 169 against England

GUWAHATI: South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt broke multiple records with her epic 169 from 143 balls against England in the first semi-final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

Put into bat first, the Proteas recorded a massive 319-run total in their 50 overs, courtesy of Wolvaardt’s sublime knock.

Highest total for SA-W in ODI World Cups

319/7 against England in Guwahati, 2025 semi-final
312/9 against Pakistan in Colombo, 2025
305/9 against England in Bristol, 2017
275/7 against India in Christchurch, 2022

With the help of the skippers knock, South Africa outplayed England by a hefty margin of 125 runs to book a place in the final for the first time.

The 319 run total was South Africa’s highest ever in World Cup matches. Moreover, it was also the second-highest total in a knockout match.

The skipper struck 20 fours and four maximums in her monumental knock, which made her the first women’s player to score an ODI hundred in the knockout of the World Cup.

She has now scored the most half-centuries (12) in the marquee event, surpassing India’s Mithali Raj’s record of 11. Her 169 is also the second-best score by a captain in the women’s ODI WC.

Highest individual scores in World Cup knockouts

Harmanpreet Kaur – 171* against Australia, 2017 semi-final
Alyssa Healy – 170 against England, 2022 final
Laura Wolvaardt – 169 against England, 2025 semi-final
Nat Sciver-Brunt – 148* against Australia, 2022 final

During her knock, she also crossed the 5000 runs mark and entered the list of batters with the most centuries in WODIs.

Best Individual Innings in Women’s World Cup

15 – Meg Lanning (Australia)
14 – Smriti Mandhana (India)
13 – Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
12 – Tammy Beaumont (England)
10 – Nat Sciver-Brunt (England)
10 – Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)

READ: South Africa crush England to reach first ever Women’s World Cup final

Wolvaardt sees Pakistan spinners as real Test for South Africa

LAHORE: South Africa women’s team captain Laura Wolvaardt hailed Pakistan spinners as a real challenge ahead of their One Day International (ODI) series opener, scheduled to begin tomorrow.

Ahead of the pre-match press conference, Laura shed light on their preparations ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.

“This series will be very beneficial for us. The Pakistan team is quite strong in home conditions,” she remarked.

Regarding conditions, she mentioned hot weather in Pakistan and mentioned Pakistan spinners as a big threat to the Proteas.

“It’s very hot in Pakistan, we’re trying to understand the conditions. We have lost in the knockout matches in the last few ICC World Cups, but this time we are mentally prepared to win,” Laura Wolvaardt said.

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“It will definitely be a challenge to face Pakistan’s spinners,” she stated.

It is pertinent to mention that South Africa and Pakistan will play three ODI matches here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, before heading into the ICC Women’s World Cup.

The ODI series between the two teams will be played from September 16 to September 22.

Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, will lead the side for the first time in the mega event.

The opening match of the World Cup will begin with co-hosts India and Sri Lanka facing each other in Guwahati on September 30.

Pakistan women’s cricket team will play all their group-stage matches at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

Should Pakistan qualify for the 29 October semi-final and the 2 November final, then both the matches will take place in Colombo.

READ: Confident Sana eyes South Africa series for World Cup preparation

Laura Wolvaardt, Nadine de Klerk helps South Africa Women defeat England

KIMBERLEY: South Africa Women captain Laura Wolvaardt and Nadine de Klerk’s unbeaten knocks steered their team to a six-wicket victory in the first ODI against England at Diamond Oval on Wednesday.

Laura Wolvaardt struck an unbeaten half-century, scoring 59 runs from 114 balls, while Nadine de Klerk smashed a quick 48* off 28 to steer South Africa to chase the 187-run target in 38.2 overs.

Lauren Bell, Charlie Dean, Lauren Filer and Nat Sciver-Brunt all contributed with one wicket each for England.

Earlier, England Women opted to bat first and were struggling on 106-7 before number eight Charlie Dean played an unbeaten 47-run knock.

Opening batter Sophia Dunkley was dismissed for four in the first over while her fellow opener Tammy Beaumont was bowled after scoring 11.

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Heather Knight’s 40 steadied England before Dean added 64 runs with Sophie Ecclestone (17) for the eighth wicket. They were ultimately bundled for a mere 186.

Marizanne Kapp and Annerie Dercksen took three wickets each for South Africa, while Nonkululeko Mlaba contributed with two wickets.

South Africa and England will be back in action for their second of three ODIs in Durban on Sunday 8 December.

England Women Playing XI: Sophia Dunkley, Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Lauren Filer, Lauren Bell

South Africa Women Playing XI: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Suné Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka, Ayanda Hlubi

READ: Pakistan make four changes to Playing XI for third T20I against Zimbabwe

Sune Luus replaces Wolvaardt for remaining women’s exhibition matches

RAWALPINDI: South Africa’s Sune Luus will replace her compatriot Laura Wolvaardt in the Super Women’s squad for the remaining two Women’s League exhibition matches against Amazons at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 10 and 11 March.

27-year-old Luus captained South Africa to the semi-final of the ICC Women’s World -Cup 2022 and the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.

Luus is 43^rd ranked batter in the world and has played 106 ODIs and 102 T20Is. In ODIs, she has scored 1,799 runs and taken 115 wickets, while in T20Is, she has scored 1,077 runs and taken 49 wickets. In 2016, Suun became the second player to score a half-century and take five wickets in an ODI, while in 2021, she become the 10^th player to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in ODIs.

Wolvaardt, who has been picked as a replacement player in an another franchise league, thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for the opportunity to be part of the Women’s League exhibition matches.

“I want to thank the PCB for this opportunity to play in the Women’s League exhibition matches. It has been an incredible short journey, but I have loved the experience. The team has been amazing and I have felt so welcoming.

“I wish both sides the best of luck with rest of the series. I am sure both sides will strive hard and they will do well and learn a lot from the experience they will get from the matches.

“I cannot wait to return to Pakistan in September with the South Africa’s national women’s team and learning more about this amazing couintry.”

Updated squads:

Amazons – Bismah Maroof (captain), Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Areesha Noor, Danni Wyatt (England), Eyman Fatima, Fatima Khan, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Kainat Imtiaz, Laura Delany (Ireland), Maia Bouchier (England), Nashra Sundhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Nawaz, Tammy Beaumont (England) and Tess Flintoff (Australia)

Super Women – Nida Dar (captain) Aimen Anwar, Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka), Iram Javed, Jahanara Alam (Bangladesh), Lauren Winfield-Hill (England), Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand), Muneeba Ali, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sune Luus (South Africa), Syeda Aroob Shah, Syeda Masooma Zahra, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani

Schedule:

10 Mar – 2^nd match, 2pm, Pindi Cricket Stadium. Shozab Raza and Humaira Farah (on-field umpires), Tariq Rasheed (third umpire) and Saleema Imtiaz (fourth umpire). Mohammad Anees (match referee)

11 Mar – 3^rd match, 2pm, Pindi Cricket Stadium. Tariq Rasheed and Saleema Imtiaz (on-field umpires), Shozab Raza (third umpire) and Humaira Farah (fourth umpire). Mohammad Anees (match referee)