Wolvaardt appointed Proteas Women captain as T20 squad announced

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday announced the official appointment of Laura Wolvaardt as captain of the Proteas Women for all three formats along with the 15-player T20 International (T20I) squad set to face Bangladesh in the white-ball tour on home soil between 3 and 23 December.

Wolvaardt takes over the reins full-time after a successful tenure as interim captain during the recent tours against Pakistan and New Zealand where she led from the front with the bat, helping her team to back-to-back 2-1 ODI series victories.

At the age of 24, Wolvaardt has already appeared in 86 one-day internationals (ODI) and 59 T20Is, recording 3 421 runs with 30 fifties and four hundreds in the 50-over format, in addition to 1 313 runs at an average of 32.82 with nine half-centuries in T20Is.

In the T20I series between 3 and 8 December, the newly appointed South African captain will oversee a squad blended with youth and know-how, with a sprinkle of rising talent as SA U19 and SA Emerging stars Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx earn their maiden international call-ups in the shorter format.

🟢 Wolfie To Lead Proteas Women 🟡

CSA has today officially appointed Laura Wolvaardt as captain of the Proteas Women for all 3 formats along with the 15-player T20I squad set to face Banglades (3 - 23 Dec)🇿🇦🇧🇩

🔗 https://t.co/6vG6Pceq05#AlwaysRising #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/kZjX9OIIYg

— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) November 24, 2023

Returning to the national fold for the first time since injuring her hand during the winter is Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers allrounder Annerie Dercksen, who gets a reward for solid performances at domestic and emerging level at the start of the new season.

Among the centrally contracted players not available for the T20I series are fast bowler Ayabonga Khaka (knee injury) and allrounders Chloè Tryon (groin) and Nadine de Klerk (side strain). Meanwhile, experienced campaigner Marizanne Kapp is rested for the T20Is and will return for the crucial ODI series.

The Proteas Women squad that will compete in the three-match One-Day series will be announced ahead of the 50-over encounters which are being held in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni between 16 and 23 December. The ODI matches form part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 (IWC) in pursuit of qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

Proteas Women T20I Squad v Bangladesh (2023/24):

Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans), Tazmin Brits (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Mieke de Ridder (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Lara Goodall (Western Province), *Ayanda Hlubi (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions), Masabata Klaas (Fidelity Titans), Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans), *Eliz-Mari Marx (Fidelity Titans), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions), Nondumiso Shangase (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Delmi Tucker (Western Province), Laura Wolvaardt (Fidelity Titans)

*Uncapped players