Three South Africans have been named in the World Cup XI, following the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup.
Captain courageous, Laura Wolvaardt along with teammates Marizanne Kapp and Nadine de Klerk were named in the World Cup XI. The Protea Women returned to a hero’s welcome on Tuesday evening. This despite going down to India in the finals.
“Even though we have lost the finals, it feels like we have won. I want to thank the players. I think they were unbelievable during the tournament. They are the real heroes,” said coach Mandla Mshimbyi at the team’s welcoming at OR Tambo.
The inclusion of Kapp and Wolvaardt felt especially deserved. Kapp made history during the tournament, becoming the all time leading wicket taker in Women’s World Cup history with 44 wickets.
Wolfvaardt has also overtook, Smriti Mandhana as the leading run scorer in ODI, with 814 rating points. The 26-year old captain had an outstanding World Cup campaign. She scored 169 in the semi finals against England, while her 101 in the finals was not enough to see the Proteas passed the post.
Nadine de Klerk, was the tournament’s second fastest scorer and finished with the second most sixes in the tournament. Most commentators agree that the inclusion of this South African trio is more than warranted.
Laura Wolvaardt thanked the supporters for believing in them.
“I think in this tournament we really felt the support coming from back home. It was amazing to see my phone blowing up after we won that semi-final. There were videos of entire schools supporting us. I think stuff like that wouldn’t have happened eight or ten years ago in the woman’s game. We played in front of a sold out stadium. It is absolutely amazing to see how far the woman’s game has come,” Wolvaardt said.
The Protea women will have another go at a title in England next year, for the T20 world cup.
