South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt.
Credit: PTI Photo
The South African women's cricket team have been very consistent in the recent International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments and the battelines are drawn for the World Cup which commences in a week's team, Proteas are confident of raising the bar.
South Africa reached the semifinals in the last two editions of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup and ended up as runners-up in consecutive T20 World Cups.
The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka begins on September 30 and the Proteas enter the quadrennial extravaganza on the back of a 2-1 away series win in Pakistan.
It is this recent form that gives South Africa the confidence and skipper Laura Wolvaardt was candid while admitting that.
"We've had good preparation for this tournament and learned a lot of lessons from past ICC events. In the last few ODI World Cups, we made the semi-finals," Wolvaardt wrote in her column for ICC.
South Africa will open their campaign against England on October 3 in Guwahati.
"I remember being part of that first semi-final loss in 2017 – it really hurt the group, but it helped us see that we could compete with the best sides in the world and qualifying for a final one day is more a question of "when" and not "if" it would ever happen.
"The belief is very strong in our side going into this tournament. We'd like to keep that momentum going, and we'll have to play very good cricket in tough conditions," she added.
Wolvaardt acknowledged the stiff challenge ahead, with India and Sri Lanka's conditions expected to test every team.
"In these conditions, the local sides are always dangerous. We’ve seen how tough opponents like Australia and England remain, and India’s strength at home speaks for itself. Teams such as Australia, India, and New Zealand prepare meticulously — there's simply no easy game at this level," she said.
South Africa's firepower lies in their explosive top order, spearheaded by Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, while Marizanne Kapp continues to be the heartbeat of the all-round department.
Complementing Kapp are the experienced Sune Luus and Chloe Tryon, alongside the youngsters Nadine de Klerk and Nondumiso Shangase. This blend of experience and youth gives the squad enviable balance and multiple match-winning options.
(with inputs from PTI)