Laura Wolvaardt focuses on South Africa’s bid to defend its maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title in the UAE

As South Africa prepares Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in UAE, captain Laura Wolvaardt focuses on building on the team’s incredible journey from the previous edition. After reaching their first final in 2023, Wolvaardt sees the upcoming tournament as an important opportunity to develop women’s cricket in South Africa.

The importance of the 2023 World Cup

Looking ahead to the 2023 T20 World Cup, Wolvaardt highlighted the importance of their progress to the final. This achievement not only set an example for the players but also inspired future generations of cricketers in South Africa.

“Reaching the finals of the World Cup for the first time in 2023 was a milestone for us. It was an important time to break barriers and push boundaries as a team,” he shared in an interview with ICC.

Laura Wolvaardt aims to break the jinx

Despite their huge success, Wolvaardt are determined to raise the bar for South Africa by winning their first T20 World Cup title. His commitment to improvement reflected the team’s desire to turn past lessons into future victories.

“Before that [2023 T20 World Cup]we had reached the semi-finals many times, so going to the finals was very beneficial for us as a unit. Now, we aim to take it further and lift the trophy, but anything can happen in a T20 final after competing throughout the tournament,” he insisted.

UPDATE: Laura Wolvaardt sweeps top honors at Cricket South Africa Awards 2023-24

A level playing field in neutral arenas

The upcoming tournament, which will be held in Sharjah and Dubai, presents a different challenge, as neither team will enjoy playing in normal conditions. Wolvaardt expressed his enthusiasm about neutral sites.

“I am looking forward to the T20 World Cup matches to be hosted in Dubai and Sharjah. What is impressive is that it is a neutral field for all parties. A lot of teams will come in with similar levels of experience in these situations, have played there regularly, which adds to the excitement,” Wolvaardt explained.

Wolvaardt highlights the need to adapt

Given the importance of adapting to playing situations, Wolvaardt emphasized the need for teams to be flexible. He commented: “It will be interesting to see which team can adapt and catch up quickly.”

As South Africa prepares for the tournament, Wolvaardt’s guidance will be crucial in overcoming the challenges, as they try to break new barriers and protect their history in T20 cricket.

UPDATE: South Africa announces team to play in ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Laura Wolvaardt to lead

This article was originally published on WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.