Wolvaardt says Proteas need to learn patience as they tackle one-off Test

‘Weird’ and ‘tricky’ are the major themes surrounding a historic first women’s Test on South African soil in 22 years that starts in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

Laura Wolvaardt’s Proteas and Heather Knight’s England, have had just two days to prepare for the four-day match that is being played at the Mangaung Oval.

Unlike the Proteas men, who have a lot to play for when they next step into the Test arena, for Wolvaardt’s team it's harder to find a context for what will be a mentally and physically demanding few days.

Both captains agreed that two days is far too little time to prepare for a Test, though England, who have played more Tests, had developed a system that allowed them to do some training, while they were preparing for the limited overs matches earlier in the tour. 

“The biggest challenge is flipping between the formats,” said Knight, who will be playing her 13th Test. “We have practised with the red ball at net sessions during the white ball portion of the tour, with an eye on this match.”

The Proteas chose not to do that, primarily because Wolvaardt felt it would upset the rhythm of the players. She used her favourite shot as an example of the mental shift she’s had to make.

“My cover drive is my favourite shot, but it is the one I’m not allowed to play with all those slips behind me. Balls I was covering driving a week ago, now I have to leave, which is a bit tricky,” said Wolvaardt.

“There is only so much technical stuff you can learn in two days, it’s more of a mental shift that’s required.”

She acknowledged the strangeness of a career in which her only experience of playing with the red ball has come in Test matches. “In the men’s game, players have a full red ball career before they finally make their debut for the Proteas in the format — so in that respect, it’s weird, a bit backwards. But that is the situation we find ourselves in. However I will grab the opportunity of playing a Test match when it is there,” said Wolvaardt.

She and Knight agreed that junior and domestic structures needed to incorporate more red ball cricket or multi-day matches, to improve not only the quality of women’s Tests, but also raise the standards among young girls who take up the sport. 

“In the build-up to a Test, players are always asking ‘how do I learn,’ and ‘how do I apply my game to a particular situation?’ Playing red ball cricket provides a really good basis from which to grow as cricketers. Repetition of skill is important for all formats, and playing more red ball allows young girls to repeat a bit more,” said Knight. 

The Proteas' new coach Mandla Mashimbyi has made it clear he wants South African players to play more multi-day cricket and it is understood that Cricket SA is looking at how to create three-day matches involving composite ideas such as a 'North vs South' match. 

Mashimbyi made a presentation to the Proteas squad on Friday, which struck a chord with Wolvaardt. “A lot of the stuff he was saying, it sounds like I definitely want to play more of the format.”

Play starts at 10am on Sunday. 

SQUADS

SA — Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Mieke de Ridder, Lara Goodall, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon 

England — Tammy Beaumont, Sophia Dunkley, Maia Bouchier, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Heather Knight (capt), Amy Jones, Charie Dean, Freya Kemp, Sophie Eccelstone, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Seren Smale