Laura Wolvaardt

Aged 13, Wolvaardt was selected to play for the Western Province U-19 girls' team.[4] In October 2013, she made her first appearance for the Western Province senior team in a Twenty20 match against Boland women, scoring 13 runs from 18 balls.[5][6] She made her limited overs cricket debut for Western Province in a November 2013 match against Boland, scoring 4 from 14 balls.[7][8] She was the top scorer in the 2013 Cricket South Africa Under 19 Girls Week,[9] and competed again in 2014 representing Western Province.[10] Wolvaardt scored 46 in Western Province's final match of the 2015/16 Women's Provincial League, as they won the title for the fourth consecutive year.[11]

In November 2017, she was named in Brisbane Heat's squad for the 2017–18 Women's Big Bash League season.[12] In November 2018, she was named in Brisbane Heat's squad for the 2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season.[13][14] She played for the Heat in their final against Sydney Sixers. Heat won the match to win the title.[15]

Laura continued her appearances in the WBBL after signing with the Adelaide Strikers for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 Australian summer seasons.[16]

In September 2019, she was named in the Terblanche XI squad for the inaugural edition of the Women's T20 Super League in South Africa.[17][18] In 2021, she was drafted by Northern Superchargers for the inaugural season of The Hundred.[19] In April 2022, she was bought by the Northern Superchargers for the 2022 season of The Hundred.[20]

In March 2023, Woolvaardt was added to the Gujarat Giants squad as a mid-season replacement for Beth Mooney in the 2023 Women's Premier League.[21]

In December 2013, 13-year-old Wolvaardt was invited to play for a South Africa Women's U-19 invitational team.[9][22] She was later named the 2013 Cricket South Africa under-19 female cricketer of the year.[4] Wolvaardt has captained the South Africa Women's U-19 side, and in February 2016, she made her Women's One Day International debut in the opening match of a three-match series against England aged 16. In the second match of the series, she scored her maiden half century in a 114-run partnership with Trisha Chetty.[22] She also played in a match against West Indies, and scored 10 in an opening partnership of 33 runs.[23][24]

In August 2016, Wolvaardt became the youngest centurion, male or female, for South Africa in international cricket.[25] As a 17-year-old, the opener struck a match-winning 105 against Ireland Women to wrap up a 67-run victory in Malahide, Ireland.[26]

In May 2017, she was named Women's Newcomer of the Year at Cricket South Africa's annual awards.[27] In March 2018, she was one of fourteen players to be awarded a national contract by Cricket South Africa ahead of the 2018–19 season.[28] In October 2018, she was named in South Africa's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.[29][30] Ahead of the tournament, she was named as the player to watch in the team.[31] In January 2020, she was named in South Africa's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.[32] On 23 July 2020, Wolvaardt was named in South Africa's 24-woman squad to begin training in Pretoria, ahead of their planned tour to England.[33]

In February 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.[34]

In May 2022, she played seven matches for the Barmy Army team at the 2022 FairBreak Invitational T20 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[35][36] During the Invitational, she scored a total of 186 runs at a strike rate of 116.25, including two fifties.[36]

In June 2022, Wolvaardt was named in South Africa's Women's Test squad for their one-off match against England Women.[37] She made her Test debut on 27 June 2022, for South Africa against England.[38] In July 2022, she was named in South Africa's team for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[39]