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ICC WOMEN'S WORLD T20

March 1, 2020

Laura Wolvaardt

Sydney, New South Wales

South Africa - 136/6, Pakistan - 119/5

Q. Laura, how special was that innings today given the team had a bit of trouble halfway through that innings?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: It really meant a lot to me. I think it's probably the biggest contribution I've made to this team, if I think about the importance of today and the World Cup. So I'm really happy things that worked out the way they did.

Q. You have a newish role in the middle order of the T20 team. How have you found it different than perhaps opening, which you've done, I guess most of your international career?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: It has been different for me for the SSI, but back at home, I've been battle middle order for provincial sides to kind of get used to it. So it's not something completely new to me, but, yeah, I enjoy it.

Q. Laura, you've obviously spent a fair time out here before? Has that helped you a bit for this World Cup?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: Yeah, definitely. I think all the girls can agree with me that I've spent a lot of time over here in Australia. It's nice to play grounds you're familiar with. I've never played here today, but I think it does help.

Q. And staying in Sydney for the rest of this week, do you think that could be some advantage with less travel going into the semifinals on Thursday? It's another game away, but it means you're in the city for a whole week.
LAURA WOLVAARDT: Exactly. We play this part kind of back to back to back, so it's nice to be in the same place. A travel day does take its toll a little bit. So I'm happy we're in Sydney.

Q. It's taken a bit of time for you to be able to have a chance to bat in the middle. How did that make you feel? Were you sort of nervous coming into it, or were you just sort of itchy to get going? How was that mentality from your side?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: Obviously, I was itchy to get going. I really love batting. But I guess me not batting in the first two games is a good thing. I guess in the ideal scenario innings that goes for our team, I don't bat. So, yeah, it's a good thing.

Q. That was a pretty tricky pitch to play on. What was your approach personally when you went out there? There were some pretty nice shots in there.
LAURA WOLVAARDT: It was a bit lower and slower than we're used to, but that's something the people who had batted before me, like Dane, our captain, came to sit next to me in the dugout, and she was telling me exactly what was on, what wasn't on. It was really nice to have those senior players. When I went out to bat, Kappy was also batting with me. So it was nice to rub off of them, and they really told me which options were good.

Q. Laura, you're quite a classical batsman, maybe not someone associated with kind of T20 batting like you did today. What have you done over the last couple of years to work on your batting in this format?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: Right. I guess I'm not a natural big hitter, as they would say. It's been quite a journey for me to kind of get my spot here on this T20 side, and it's been something that I've been working on pretty hard. I guess I always focus on my basics, and I guess if the base is really good, you can kind of go on from there. It is something I've been working on really hard and just kind of figuring out my approach and my plan. Yeah, I'm happy it's finally showing in the games now.

Q. You hit your first T20 100 in domestic cricket a few months back. Is this innings kind of building on that?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: We are because we just had our super league back home start last year, so the more game time, the better, and, yeah, that's definitely given me a bit of confidence to play against the best in our country back at home and to take that into this.

Q. There was talk kind of early in your career about choosing between cricket and medicine. Where are you at with that decision at the moment?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: I made a decision. I am obviously still playing cricket. They were keeping my spot for me at the University of Stellenbosch, where I was studying, but I turned it down. So I'm going to play cricket for as long as I can, as long as it's -- you know. And then one day I hope to return to medicine.

Q. Speaking of medicine, I don't suppose you've got any update for us on Marizanne, how she is. We didn't see her out in the field.
LAURA WOLVAARDT: Yeah, she's just a bit ill at the moment. I think she missed the last game as well with that illness. I think you saw her in the middle when she was batting. I haven't checked on her now, but I'm sure she'll be ready for the next few games.

Q. Just after 2018, obviously, a disappointing World Cup for your team. Can you sum up the satisfaction of qualifying for semifinals with one game still to play as a complete turnaround from where you were 18 months ago?
LAURA WOLVAARDT: It's something we've spoken about a lot is that we have a lot of individual match winners on our side and it's just about bringing it all together. I'm so happy that now it's finally coming together. It's just such a different -- you know, the way we're going about our games is really amazing compared to that last World Cup, and to see the position we're in now, it's such a relief for us. We know it's there, but just so happy it's showing.

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