Captain Laura Wolvaardt has admitted the Proteas Women were "outplayed" in their 4-1 T20I series loss to New Zealand. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Proteas Women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt expressed disappointment as the team suffered a 4-1 series hammering against New Zealand Women in Christchurch on Wednesday.
South Africa won only one match in the five-match T20I series in New Zealand, as the hosts dominated the contest, boosting their confidence with the 2026 Women’s ICC T20 World Cup right around the corner. Wolvaardt highlighted that the team have a lot of learnings to take from the series.
“Tough series for us. Tough way to finish as well. I think pretty much outplayed in all three facets today,” Wolvaardt said on Wednesday, following the team’s 92-run loss in Christchurch.
“I think a lot for us to learn out of the series, a lot for us to be a lot better at. So, looking forward to the ODIs. Hopefully, we can do a lot better in a lot of areas. I think pretty much all areas. I think there have been glimpses of good stuff.”
After such a disappointing series, Wolvaardt emphasised that the squad fell short in the batting department as they struggled to adapt to the slower conditions in New Zealand. The skipper lauded the team’s bowling performance throughout the series but admitted the willow-work was lacking.
“I think we just lost our way a bit with the bat,” said Wolvaardt.
"I know we're a lot better batting unit than that. I think we have a few batters that are out of form at the same time which is a bit unfortunate, but I think we do have enough time to turn it around before the World Cup
“I think most of them (wickets) are a little on the slower side. I guess they're almost at the end of their summer. Wickets are a little bit slower. The drop-ins are a bit different, maybe a bit more bounce in them than we thought they would or than a regular wicket.
“I thought our power play with the ball was a lot better throughout the series. I think we've gone better and better at that but perhaps a bit more work at the death. I feel like we've done well in different sections.”
The team have three ODIs left in New Zealand, with the first match set to get underway in Christchurch on Sunday. Wolvaardt acknowledged that the ODI series makes for a quick turnaround, a feat that might pose its own challenge as the team do not have much time to dwell on the T20I results.
“It's a pretty quick turnaround,” she said. "I think we've got two days before the ODI starts.
"It's not too much time to be down about it. I think we can maybe reflect on where we can be better and then it's full steam ahead in a new format