Humble Wolvaardt in a class of her own
This 18-year-old isn’t hanging about, in her life or her game
● Laura Wolvaardt has in two years achieved what it would take most people a lifetime to do.
At 18 she’s crossed 1 000 ODI runs and taken part in a Women’s World Cup. Wolvaardt passed the landmark in the third ODI against losing World Cup finalists India last week,
She matriculated with flying colours, but she still doesn’t have a driver’s licence. That’s one of her 2018 resolutions.
“My mom still drives me to cricket practices and everywhere because I don’t have a licence. I need to make it happen in March. It’s been long enough now and my learner’s licence is about to expire. That’s my priority for this month,” Wolvaardt said.
“It’s quite funny that the 1 000 ODI runs have come before my driver’s licence because I wasn’t expecting that. It’s not something I’ve been thinking about because I don’t bat for milestones. I just bat because I want to win the game, I guess it’s a great milestone. I just hope I can keep up this momentum.”
Wolvaardt was in Grade 11 when she made her international bow against England in Benoni just under two years ago.
It was the England side that included Anya Shrubsole, Heather Knight and Charlotte Edwards.
In terms of women’s cricketing royalty, it doesn’t get any better than that.
At the time Wolvaardt should have been in class at Parklands College in Cape Town, but she’d later cross paths with them again — this time at last year’s World Cup. Just to show how quickly she adapted to the highest level, she collected 324 runs that included four half centuries.
South Africa pushed England to the brink, but failed to beat the eventual champions.
“I remember being extremely nervous when I made my debut against England. The anthems part was something else, but the nerves peaked when I opened the batting and I just couldn’t move my feet when I was batting. Then again, the nervousness doesn’t go away,” Wolvaardt said
“I remember I had a bit of a fan-girl moment when I was playing against Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning (Australians). Just to have the opportunity to play against them was awesome, but so is the chance to play for South Africa. You just have to focus on what you have to do on the field and forget about being a fan.”
The con of being a teenage international cricketer is that there’s still the big career decisions that need to be made.
Wolvaardt is starting her medical degree at Stellenbosch University after completing a stint with Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia. For Wolvaardt, cricket was a hobby she took up as a fiveyear-old, but such is the maturity of the young opener, she’s already seeing a life for herself past the game.
“The medicine part hasn’t officially begun yet. We’re still busy with the starting blocks, but it’s not going to be a walk in the park and I know medicine is going to be tough,” Wolvaardt said.
“Medicine has always been the goal for me and cricket was something I just did on the side. The cricket has become quite serious, but medicine is a humbling experience and I want to help people. I just want to be able to make a difference in the world — being a doctor and saving people’s lives.”
Cricket was something I just did on the side Laura Wolvaardt International cricketer