After more than a hundred matches as captain of the Proteas Women, Laura Wolvaardt admits it still feels like yesterday that she accepted the role for the national team.
Wolvaardt has led her nation in 109 matches across all formats, including two as stand-in captain during an ODI series away to India in 2021 and 107 since taking over the role on an interim basis for the tours against Pakistan and New Zealand in 2023, before being officially appointed in November that year.
Since that period in 2023, the Proteas have appeared in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 final as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 showpiece match. In that time, she has also personally amassed 15 centuries in all formats, propelling her to 8 999 international career runs - one short of becoming the first Proteas Women player to reach the 9 000-run mark.
Sitting on the grass near the playing square at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Wolvaardt reflected on surpassing a century of matches as captain.
“I can’t believe it’s been 100 already. I think it feels like just yesterday when I started captaining this team, and I feel like I’m still learning as I’m going. A hundred sounds like a lot, but it’s pretty cool that I’ve been able to lead this group for so long.”
Captaincy has altered the way Wolvaardt has approached the game over the years, requiring her to look beyond her own performances and step up to what is required to lead an international team.
“As a batter, I think you're very focused on yourself and what you need to do and your score and your strike rate and your results. But as captain, you know, a day before a game, I'm thinking of bowling plans and fields we're going to set and conditions and where the wind's blowing.
“And yeah, I feel like it's made me think about the game a lot more, which has been a good thing. I think it's really helped me develop as a cricketer.”
100 Games At The Helm! 🇿🇦
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Laura Wolvaardt reflects on the responsibility and pride she carries as #TheProteas captain. 🏏
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TRUE TO HERSELF
Despite the additional responsibility of leading with the bat and as skipper, the right-handed batter has remained true to herself and the calm and reserved individual she has been throughout her career.
“I think there's a lot of different ways to lead. Some people do it by speaking a lot. That's not really my style. I'm pretty quiet. I like to think pretty calm. I like to do all the planning before, not feel too frazzled on the field. And yeah, I think it suits my personality.
“I think I kind of bring the stability and the calmness and try to lead more through what I'm doing and my actions than what I'm saying.”
That leadership style was put to the test in Bulawayo, where Wolvaardt was tasked with guiding one of the youngest Proteas Women squads in recent years. The team ended the tour with a convincing 5-0 series victory over neighbours, the Lady Chevrons, with Wolvaardt among two centurions on the tour, recording a South African women’s T20I record score of 126 not out in the third encounter.
The Zimbabwe tour was another stark reminder of how quickly Wolvaardt’s position within the Proteas Women camp has developed. After bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old herself, the Cape Town-born cricketer is now among the senior figures in a team featuring emerging talents such as Karabo Meso (19), Kayla Reyneke (20), Miané Smit (21) and Nthabiseng Nini (21).
“I think I'm like the third or fourth oldest on this tour, which kind of happened overnight. Just yesterday, I was the youngster, just super excited to be here and keen to learn. And now people are asking me questions.
“And it's funny how quickly it changed. It's actually been a blink of an eye. But it's been cool.
“It's been nice to sort of share my knowledge. I feel like the last couple of years, I've been able to play a lot of cricket all around the world. And it's been nice to sort of give that feedback to some of the youngsters.”
To conclude the interview, Wolvaardt was asked about the legacy she would like to leave behind with the people she works with, particularly her teammates, when her time as captain eventually comes to an end.
“I guess just that I was fair and nice. Yeah, I haven't really thought about it that much. Hopefully I'm still captain for a while.
“How I was as a person and how I made them feel on the field. And that hopefully I helped them play better cricket in that moment on the field and didn't do the opposite.”