That was not my easiest innings, says Laura Wolvaardt

Laura Wolvaardt shed the aesthetics, gritted her teeth, snarled on occasions and ran as hard as she could, using all those hours of fitness work to good effect, and showed another part of her game in crafting out the sixth ODI century of her already stellar career in Kimberley on Saturday night.

In reaching an unbeaten 110 that helped the Proteas to a crucial seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in the second match of the series, the SA captain also surpassed Mignon du Preez, to become the country’s leading run-scorer in ODIs.

She did so having played 60 games fewer than Du Preez, and in a manner that was not in keeping with her reputation. There were few textbook cover drives, rather Saturday’s was a display of mental grit on a tricky surface suited to a Sri Lankan attack that is spin heavy.

“Patience was key for me,” said Wolvaardt, who admitted that frustration nearly got the better of her. “This wicket suited their attack and their spinners are quite crafty, they bowled slower and slower and got more turn, which made it really tough. That was not my easiest innings, it was hard work.”

Wolvaardt is still only 24 years old, but has already got 94 ODI caps to her name, having first risen to prominence at the 2017 World Cup. This season she had the captaincy thrust onto her in extremely awkward circumstances and has had to balance her responsibilities as being the Proteas best batter, with leadership of a team that is in transition.

At the same time, there remains no clarity about the future of the coaching set up for the national side, with Hilton Moreeng having had two extensions since his contract expired in June 2023.

In Australia, where she struggled, it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, but against Sri Lanka, she has made a century on the T20 series and then Saturday’s milestone, which made her the 15th highest run-scorer in women’s ODIs.

“Australia was a tough month for me, I don’t feel like I’m doing much different, I’ve had some luck on my side, had some catches dropped, which I’ve been able to use to my advantage.”

Saturday night offered another indication that she is happy to carry the load, while also being grateful for the input of senior players such as Marizanne Kapp, whose unbeaten 80 provided impetus to the SA innings at a crucial time.

“Kappy really helped me, I would probably have got out earlier because I was getting so frustrated,” said Wolvaardt.

SA reached their target of 230 with eight balls to spare picking up two vital points on the ICC Women’s Championship log, which will decide the automatic qualifiers for 2025’s ODI World Cup in India. SA are now second on the table behind Australia.

The third match of the series will take place in Potchefstroom on Wednesday.