NZ vs SA 1st ODI - Laura Wolvaardt hopes for ODI high for South Africa after T20I low in New Zealand

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The T20I series didn’t go the way South Africa would have wanted, with Amelia Kerr leading New Zealand to a 4-1 win, but Laura Wolvaardt wants to “be a lot better” in the upcoming series of three ODIs, which is crucial keeping in mind qualification for the next ODI World Cup, in 2029.

“We’ve had some good reflections and a couple of good meetings. Obviously, we want to be a lot better at in this ODI series,” Wolvaardt said ahead of the first ODI, in Christchurch on Sunday. “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.”

South Africa are one of the top teams in the ODI format, having made the semi-final of the World Cup in 2022 and then the final in 2025, where they lost to India. They are well placed in the ICC Women’s Championship table currently too, at No. 3 behind New Zealand and Sri Lanka after beating Pakistan 2-1 at home in February-March.

“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 said. “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.”

South Africa’s key performers from the series win against Pakistan – Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba and others – are all in the mix for the series against New Zealand, but New Zealand are also a team in form. After failing to make the knockouts of the World Cup last year, they have blanked Zimbabwe in a series of three T20Is and three ODIs before dominating the T20Is against South Africa.

“They’re obviously a very good side. You can see that they have clear plans for all of us and are very well prepared,” Wolvaardt 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.”

South Africa squad for ODIs against New Zealand

Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kayla Reyneke, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloe Tryon

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