OBAKENG MELETSE
Laura Wolvaardt revealed the Proteas Women will use the three-match series against Pakistan to fine-tune their team ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup in just over two weeks in the United Arab Emirates.
The Proteas will be locked in battle against Pakistan in the Punjab Province, in the south of Pakistan, with the first clash set to get under way at Multan International Stadium at 4pm today.
First training session, and the energy is off the charts! 💪🇿🇦🏏
The Proteas Women have hit the ground running at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan! 💥#AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/jq8BRyGzis
Pakistan beat the Proteas 3-0 the last time they met last year, and since then Wolvaardt and her South African side haven’t had the best of outings in the T20 format, despite having reached the final of the 2023 World Cup as the hosts.
The 25-year-old will go into the tournament leading the way for South Africa, not only as the captain but also as one of the in-form batters, and she feels her side are well prepared for the spin challenge the Pakistan Women are going to throw at them.
“Very important series to get going again. Obviously we haven’t played much since the India series but we are very keen for us to get going,” Wolvaardt said in a pre-match media conference.
“The last time we were here, for most of the time we didn’t play our best T20 cricket. I’m very excited for the series, mainly just to see how far we have come in the last year.
“I think it will sort of be a great judgement to see if the work that we have been doing behind the scenes is working. We have had the two practice sessions before the first game.
“Leading up to this, we had a camp back home in Durban, which has been known to be on the slower side condition-wise. I think that was good preparation to face a lot of spin, and I expect Pakistan to bowl a lot of spin tomorrow (today) but we have had good preparation for that.”
The journey to T20 glory begins now! 🌍🏏
Presenting the fixtures for the Proteas Women in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup taking place in the UAE.
Get ready to support our team as they battle the best in the world! 🇿🇦💪 #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/reECEpviLD
Wolvaardt expects the UAE conditions to offer a fair contest between bat and ball.
But she would also like to see her side improve their fielding and batting in time for the global event.
A few new faces in the side, such as Seshnie Naidu, might also be given a run to get a feel for international cricket.
“We would like to sharpen up our fielding, that is always a key aspect in tournaments like these. The best fielding sides often find themselves within the top four,” Wolvaardt said.
“With the bat, the last time we were in Pakistan we scored around 150 in all three games, and we didn’t win all three of them. We have been chatting about finding that extra 10 to 20 runs to hopefully put their batting side under pressure and tighten up a bit on our bowling plans as well.
“We have a few new faces in the side, and two or three changes to what we had in India. It will be great for some of the younger players to get a chance and see what they can offer.”