CSA appoints Laura Wolvaardt as South Africa women's team captain for all three formats

Cricket South Africa appointed Laura Wolvaardt as the captain of South Africa’s women’s team for all three formats on Friday, November 24 while announcing the 15-player T20 International (T20I) squad for the Bangladesh white ball series on home soil to be played between 03 – 23 December.

Notably, Wolvaardt served as the interim captain during recent tours against Pakistan and New Zealand where she shone with the bat and helped her side register back-to-back 2-1 ODI series victories. The 24-year-old has played 86 ODIs so far in her career and scored 3421 runs at an average of 45.61 with four hundreds and 30 fifties to her name.

The opening batter has also played 59 T20Is where she has amassed 1313 runs at an average of 32.82 and a strike rate of 111.36 with nine fifties to her name. Wolvaardt’s first assignment as the full-time captain will be a T20I series against Bangladesh scheduled to take place between 03 – 08 December.

She will have a mix of both youth and experienced players in her squad as Ayanda Hlubi and Eliz-Mari Marx have earned their maiden international call-ups in T20Is. Apart from them, all-rounder Annerie Dercksen has also made a comeback to the national side on the back of solid performances at the domestic and Emerging level at the start of the new season.

Ayabonga Khaka, Chloè Tryon and Nadine de Klerk miss out due to injuries 

However, there are also a few centrally contracted players who will not be available in the T20I series such as fast bowler Ayabonga Khaka, who’s been ruled out due to a knee injury while all-rounders Chloè Tryon and Nadine de Klerk will not be available due to a groin injury and side strain respectively. Meanwhile, veteran all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has been rested for T20Is and will return for the crucial ODI series.

Also Read: South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt conferred with Sport Personality of the Year

The squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series will be announced ahead of it. Notably, the three matches will be held in East London, Potchefstroom and Benoni between 16 – 23 December and are 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 vs 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)