Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
Wolvaardt was South Africa’s mainstay on the field as a batter and a captain. The Proteas had a shaky start to the Women’s Cricket World Cup after a shock loss to England in their tournament opener, a game in which they were bowled out for a paltry 69.
The team found its way back during their third league stage encounter against India, where Wolvaardt played a defining role with her 70, before Nadine de Klerk’s clean hitting took the game away from the hosts.
Wolvaardt kept improving with each game, hitting half-centuries against Sri Lanka and Pakistan as the Proteas made it to the knock-out round.
Up against England in the semi-final, who had proved to be their nemesis in the opening round, Wolvaardt didn’t give an inch as she smashed an all-time great Cricket World Cup knock. Her 169 was more than half of South Africa’s 319, and eventually turned out to be too formidable for England.
Under Wolvaardt’s captaincy, the Proteas made their first-ever Women’s World Cup final. Her fine performances helped her reach the pole position in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings.
