South African star batter Laura Wolvaardt

• The Proteas women’s cricket squad have arrived in Australia for a multi-format tour against the world champions.
• Laura Wolvaardt will lead the Proteas in all formats, with three T20Is, three ODIs and a sole Test.
• Wolvaardt admits it’ll be special to walk away with a couple of wins in Australia.
• For more, please visit News24 Sports‘ home page.

Captain Laura Wolvaardt hopes the Proteas women can do something special in Australia when they take on the formidable hosts in a historic multi-format tour.

Hilton Moreeng’s charges are in Australia for three T20Is, three ODIs and a sole Test from Saturday to 18 February.

It’ll be a historic first Test between the two sides, at the WACA in Perth from 15-18 February.  

The last Test the Proteas played was back in 2022 when they drew against England in Taunton. 

It’ll also be the two teams’ first encounter since Australia’s historic ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final triumph in Cape Town in February last year.

“Look, they’re the best side in the world. I think they sort of have all bases covered when it comes to all formats of the game,” said Wolvaardt.

“We’re going to have to play some really good cricket over there. At the end of the day, we want to challenge ourselves and measure ourselves against the best in the world. So [we] very excited for the opportunity and to see where we’re at.”

The Proteas women have a substandard record against Australia, especially in the shortest format of the game. Australia, who have won six T20 World Cup titles, have won all seven encounters against the Proteas women in T20 cricket.

When it comes to ODI cricket, the Proteas women are also yet to defeat Australia, losing 14 of 15 ODIs, with SA’s best result coming in the shape of a tied match in the fourth ODI in November 2016.

Wolvaardt’s side will look to make history as they search for their first win against Australia in any format.

“Yeah, I think that would be very special if we do come away with a victory, or a couple ,would be nice,” said Wolvaardt.

“We have the talent. It’s just about playing a good game of cricket. We’re going to need all of the departments to come together on the same day.

“I know we have it in us and we just need the timing to be right and hopefully, we can give them a good game.”

On Tuesday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named all-rounder Nadine de Klerk in their ODI team of the year and batter Wolvaardt in their T20 team of 2023.

On Wednesday, De Klerk’s quick unbeaten knock of 48 off 24 balls was not enough as the Proteas suffered a four-wicket loss to the Governor-General’s XI in a T20 warm-up in Sydney.

It was their first competitive match since their 2-1 ODI series win and 1-1 drawn T20I series against Bangladesh in December last year.

After missing the Bangladesh series due to a groin injury, all-rounder Chloé Tryon got some time in the middle at the North Sydney Oval as she scored 31 and shared a half-century stand with Suné Luus.

Tryon understands the significance of the Australian tour and hopes the Proteas can keep calm, play good cricket and attempt to make history.

“We have to raise the bar a little bit more and make sure we’re playing at 200%. We know they’re going to come hard at us, especially with a T20 World Cup around the corner. It’s going to be really good prep for us,” said Tryon.

“It’s always tough to beat a team like that. It’s about staying nice and calm, taking every moment as it comes. You don’t want to think too far ahead in the game. We’ve seen how they’ve played teams.

“If we can just stay nice and calm in everything that we do, I think we can take it to the end and make sure we stay in the moment as much as we can. And hopefully, we can get to the end and win.”

The first of three T20Is starts on Saturday at Manuka Oval, Canberra.

Play starts at 01:45 SA time.

Proteas women squad for T20I and ODI series:

Laura Wolvaardt (Titans, captain), Anneke Bosch (Titans), Tazmin Brits (Garden Route Badgers), Nadine de Klerk (Western Province), Mieke de Ridder (Garden Route Badgers), Ayanda Hlubi (Dolphins), Sinalo Jafta (Lions), Marizanne Kapp (Western Province), Ayabonga Khaka (Lions), Masabata Klaas (Titans), Suné Luus (Titans), Eliz-Mari Marx (Titans), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Dolphins), Chloé Tryon (Lions), Delmi Tucker (Western Province)