Four months out from the Women’s T20 World Cup, captain Laura Wolvaardt says the Proteas will use their T20 series against Pakistan as a key part of their preparation for the showpiece to be held in England and Wales in June and July.
The SA team, who have been drawn in the same group as Pakistan at the World Cup, will face the tourists in the first of three T20 matches in Potchefstroom on Tuesday night (6pm start).
In their last T20 series against Pakistan, the Proteas won 2-1 in Multan in September 2024, and they were hoping to dominate again on home soil.
“The World Cup is obviously massive for us this year, so I think any T20 game is awesome preparation for that,” Wolvaardt said on Monday.
“We’ll maybe try out one or two combinations, but other than that we’ll be trying to play as strong a side as we can and play as well as we can, and a similar brand that we would like to play at the World Cup.
“A couple of wins would be nice and a series win would be great heading into that tournament, and we’ll be trying to play some good, brave cricket.”
Senior players in form
Wolvaardt was pleased to see a number of Proteas players performing well at the Women’s Premier League T20 tournament in India which concluded last week.
The Proteas skipper was the fifth highest run-scorer, hitting 317 in 10 matches for finalists the Delhi Capitals at an average of 45.28 and a strike rate of 135.47.
All-rounder Nadine de Klerk also shone for champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru. De Klerk was the third highest wicket-taker of the tournament, grabbing 16 scalps in nine games at an average of 15.68 and an economy rate of 7.84. With the bat, she made 133 runs in six innings at an average of 44.33.
In addition, experienced all-rounder Marizanne Kapp took 10 wickets in as many matches for the Delhi Capitals.
“It’s nice to have that game time under the belt, and we just want to keep going into this series, so hopefully the senior players can step up and keep performing,” Wolvaardt said.
After Tuesday’s match in Potchefstroom, the Proteas women will face Pakistan in T20 games in Benoni on Friday and next Monday.
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