As familiar faces return to the Proteas Women squad, captain Laura Wolvaardt believes experience could prove decisive in SA’s quest for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup glory.
The tournament, which takes place in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5, will see the Proteas head into the competition among the favourites after successive appearances in the 2023 and 2024 finals, where they fell agonisingly short.
Fast bowler Shabnim Ismail and all-rounder Dané van Niekerk headline the returning contingent after lengthy absences from the national setup, and Wolvaardt believes their experience could provide the extra edge needed to finally cross the line.
Ismail last represented SA in the 2023 T20 World Cup final on home soil before announcing her retirement from international cricket.
Van Niekerk, meanwhile, had not featured for the Proteas since 2021 before returning to the fold late last year and featuring in series against Ireland and India in 2026.
Wolvaardt believes both players bring invaluable game awareness and composure.
“It has been really nice having some of the old faces back,” Wolvaardt said. “They bring good energy, have been here before and settled back in pretty easily.”
The skipper believes the balance of youth and experience gives SA a stronger look heading into the tournament.
“Add to that the young energy from Kayla Reyneke and Karabo Meso, and I think we’ve got a really good balance between experienced players and newer members of the squad,” she said.
The Proteas have also had valuable preparation time, including a seven-day training camp and mini-series against Australia, as well as warm-up fixtures before the tournament.
Wolvaardt said the schedule presented an unusual challenge, given that SA open their campaign against Australia.
“It’s a bit strange playing warm-up games against the team we face first, but any game time is valuable,” she said. “Australia have been the best team in the world for a long time, so any opportunity to test ourselves against them is important. It also gives us a chance to try combinations before the tournament starts.”
SA begin their campaign against Australia at Old Trafford before taking on Pakistan at Edgbaston and India back at Old Trafford in a key mid-stage clash.
Their remaining group fixtures against the Netherlands in Bristol and Bangladesh at Lord’s will complete the first round, with progression likely hinging on performances against the tournament heavyweights.
“It is a tough group,” Wolvaardt said. “Having both India and Australia is pretty big, and we’ll probably need to beat at least one of them to improve our chances.”
She also identified Pakistan as a dangerous threat after recent improvements in the shortest format.
“Pakistan have been playing pretty good T20 cricket lately and could be a dark horse,” she said.
Still, Wolvaardt says the Proteas will not get carried away.
“We just need to take it one game at a time and not get too far ahead of ourselves. The focus is on Australia first, then the next game. If you look too far ahead, it can become overwhelming.”
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