Wolvaardt eyes Proteas turnaround in New Zealand ODIs

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt is eyeing a turnaround as her team prepares to face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series that is part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC Women's Championship 2025/29 cycle.

The opening match is scheduled for Sunday at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch where the visitors would want to bounce back after having lost the five-match T20I series 4-1.

Addressing the media before the series, Wolvaardt discussed about the team's recent defeat in the T20I series and shared insights from their assessment.

“We want to be a lot better in this ODI series," Wolvaardt said.

"It’s a format we’ve been pretty good in, or pretty consistent in, over the last couple of months, so it’s about thinking back to what worked for us, especially in that World Cup and what we did well.

"We probably didn’t execute as well as we would have liked in the T20Is, but I think the plans that we have in place for the ODIs are pretty solid. So hopefully we can put up better performances,” the skipper added.

This three-match series is a crucial part of the qualification process for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2029. South Africa currently sit in third place on the IWC table, having secured two wins and suffered one loss against Pakistan last month.

“The points are super important. Obviously, those points are for the Championship. We want to get into a position early where we can qualify and not have to scramble at the end of the cycle, so every game is super important," Wolvaardt added.

"It just gives that little bit of something extra to play for, makes it a pretty high-stakes game, so we’re looking forward to playing our best cricket, and hopefully it brings out the best in the players."

New Zealand enter the 50-over contests riding high on recent series wins over both South Africa and Zimbabwe. However, South Africa boasts a strong recent record against the White Ferns in ODI cricket, claiming victory in four of their last five matchups.

This includes a notable six-wicket win during the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup clash in India last year.

When asked about the New Zealand side, Wolvaardt said, “They’re obviously a very good side. You can see that they have clear plans for all of us and are very well prepared," she said.

"But I think in this series we’re definitely looking to be a bit more proactive, be a bit braver, make certain moves earlier and hopefully put them under a bit more pressure," the captain mentioned.

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