South Africa captain admits her batting struggles are more about mindset than technique as she hopes to rediscover her best form ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final.

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Laura Wolvaardt remains confident that her best batting is just around the corner despite a below-par campaign in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup. The South Africa captain believes her recent struggles are more mental than technical and is determined to rediscover the form that made her one of the world’s most prolific batters over the past two years.

Speaking ahead of South Africa’s semi-final clash, Wolvaardt admitted she has been disappointed with her own performances. While South Africa have reached the last four, she feels both she and the batting unit have not performed to their full potential.

“With the bat, we probably haven’t been at 100%. All of our batters will admit they’d like to score a few more runs, but hopefully when it all comes together in the next game, it’ll be a pretty good one,” Wolvaardt said.

The South African skipper entered the tournament in exceptional form after starring in her side’s home series against India. She scored three half-centuries, including an unbeaten 92, and a century in five innings as South Africa claimed a convincing 4-1 series victory. However, she has struggled to convert starts at the World Cup, with teammates Tazmin Brits, Marizanne Kapp and Annerie Dercksen making bigger contributions with the bat.

Despite her lean run, Wolvaardt insists there is nothing fundamentally wrong with her batting.

“I’m probably a bit annoyed with my tournament because I felt like I was in pretty good form coming into the competition. It’s so recent, it’s not like my batting has changed. It’s probably just a bit of a mindset thing. Maybe I’m trying to hit the ball a bit too hard because of the pressure of a World Cup,” she explained.

The stylish opener acknowledged that the intensity of a global tournament can affect decision-making but remains confident that a calm approach will help her return to her best.

“It’s not like I’ve forgotten how to bat. Maybe one or two things just haven’t gone my way and I’ve become a bit frustrated. I need to stay nice and calm, and hopefully a couple of good shots will get me back into rhythm,” Wolvaardt added.

South Africa have reached the semi-finals after winning three consecutive matches following an opening defeat to Australia. However, their campaign has been far from convincing. They narrowly chased modest totals against Pakistan and Bangladesh, while Marizanne Kapp’s all-round brilliance proved crucial against India. Although they comfortably defeated the Netherlands, the team has often found itself under pressure in situations it could have controlled more comfortably.

Reflecting on the team’s performances, Wolvaardt admitted South Africa have developed an unwanted habit of making life difficult for themselves in major tournaments.

“I don’t know why we keep doing it to ourselves by starting with a really bad game. It’s something we’ve addressed. We seem to lose our opening World Cup match and then put ourselves under pressure,” she said.

That pattern has been evident in recent ICC events. South Africa lost their opening match at the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup before reaching the final, and they also recovered from an opening defeat to qualify for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup final.

Wolvaardt believes the team’s resilience has been one of its biggest strengths and hopes South Africa can continue that trend with two more victories.

“The good thing is we’ve shown resilience and found ways to reach the semi-finals. Winning several games in a row against quality opposition gives us confidence. Hopefully we can do it for two more matches,” she said.

With a place in another World Cup final at stake, South Africa will be hoping their captain rediscovers the form that has made her one of the leading batters in women’s cricket. If Wolvaardt fires, South Africa’s chances of lifting their maiden ICC trophy will receive a significant boost.

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