South Africa’s Wolvaardt Reflects on Another Heartbreaking World Cup Loss

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt expressed her disappointment after her team’s narrow loss to New Zealand in the final of the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. The Proteas fell short of chasing New Zealand’s challenging total of 158/5, marking their second consecutive defeat in the tournament’s final after losing to Australia on home soil last year.

Held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the title match saw a dominant New Zealand side, led by strong performances from Suzie Bates and Melie Kerr, clinch their first-ever ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title. The White Ferns’ aggressive start in the Powerplay left South Africa struggling to regain control.

“I think we probably let them score a bit too many with the bat,” Wolvaardt said after the match. “They came out with some real intent, and I think it sort of caught us on the back foot a little bit. We thought we could ride it out, maybe get a wicket or two, but they just kept going.”

Despite clawing back into the game after a strong Powerplay with the bat, South Africa lost momentum as the match progressed, falling short in their chase. Wolvaardt acknowledged that the final five or six overs proved decisive, as New Zealand capitalized on the Proteas’ lackluster fielding and bowling in the late stages.

Wolvaardt and her teammate Tazmin Brits were standouts throughout the tournament, finishing as the top two leading run-scorers. Spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba also impressed, with only New Zealand’s Kerr surpassing her in wicket tallies. Wolvaardt, however, took solace in the team’s achievements, emphasizing the significance of making back-to-back finals and the growth of the younger players.

“It’s obviously disappointing, but I think in hindsight, we still came second in a tournament with 10-odd teams, so we still had a pretty good run,” she said. “There are a lot of positives to reflect on. To make the finals with a younger group is promising, and I can’t wait to see what we do in the next couple of World Cups.”

South Africa’s consecutive final appearances underscore their growing stature in women’s cricket, and Wolvaardt remains hopeful that their breakthrough moment is just around the corner. As they continue to build, the Proteas will be eager to turn lessons learned from these tough defeats into future success on the global stage.