'Not at my best': South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt admits
What's the story
South African cricket star Laura Wolvaardt, the leading run-scorer in the last three white-ball World Cups, has admitted that she hasn't been at her best with the bat in this tournament. Speaking at a press conference before the semi-final match, she said all batters would agree they want to score more runs. Despite her global dominance since 2023, Wolvaardt has had a relatively quiet tournament so far.
Tournament struggles
Wolvaardt frustrated over lack of runs
Wolvaardt's teammates Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp have made significant contributions in the tournament, with Brits scoring a century and Kapp playing a match-winning knock. However, Wolvaardt has struggled to find her rhythm. She is currently fourth on South Africa's run charts and 25th overall. The star batter expressed her frustration over her performance, saying she was in good form coming into the competition but has had a couple of frustrating knocks since then.
Information
'I'm probably a bit annoyed'
"I'm probably a bit annoyed with my tournament because I felt like I was in pretty good form coming into the competition and then had a couple of frustrating knocks," Wolvaardt said at a press conference.
Past performance
Wolvaardt confident of bouncing back
Before this World Cup, Wolvaardt was in top form, scoring three fifties (including a 92*) and a hundred in five innings against India during a home series. She said she would think over the next 24 hours about what went well for her back then. The star batter suggested that her current struggles could be more of a mindset issue than a change in batting technique.
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It's probably just a bit of a mindset thing: Wolvaardt
"I just need to maybe have a think over the next 24 hours of what went well for me back then. Obviously, it's so recent, it's not like my batting has changed. It's probably just a bit of a mindset thing," she said. "Maybe just trying to hit it a bit too hard, but I guess that's just the pressure of a World Cup. It's hard to stay super calm and chilled, but hopefully I'm able to do it tomorrow."
Team dynamics
Batting amnesia?
Wolvaardt's batting struggles have been evident in her innings, where she has struggled for strike in the powerplay. She is clear on one thing: there's been no batting amnesia. "It's not like I've forgotten how to bat," she said at a press conference. South Africa, despite being among the last four teams standing, don't look like a team that has confidently marched their way into the knockouts. They lost badly against Australia and scraped their way to three wins.
Team effort
Wolvaardt optimistic about South Africa's chances in semi-final
Wolvaardt's self-frustration could easily be a reflection of the team's overall performance. South Africa have a group stage net run-rate of 0.633, which is lower than India's 1.718. They had Pakistan at 50 for 8 and Bangladesh at 14 for 2 but could have finished those games earlier. Despite these challenges, Wolvaardt remains optimistic about their resilience and consistency in reaching the semi-finals.