South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt says test cricket will always be the pinnacle of the sport and believes the women’s game needs to be a showcase for more red-ball matches at the elite level.
Only 26 test series have been played in women’s cricket over the last two decades. Matches between England and Australia account for 12 of those, with the remainder also featuring India, South Africa and the Netherlands.
The West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – teams with well established men’s test sides – have not played in any during that period.
While New Zealand’s men won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021, the country’s women have not played a test since 2004.
“It’s very disappointing that these teams haven’t been able to play a test match,” Laura Wolvaardt told Reuters in a recent interview.
“Some of the New Zealand players would be very good at test cricket. I hope it’s something that’s in the calendar more.
“It’s the ultimate form of the game, so I would love to see more of it in the schedule.”
Wolvaardt, who made her test debut in 2022 and scored her first century two years later, is only the third player to score a hundred in all three international formats after England’s Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont.
“I love test cricket … it’s definitely a big challenge, something to get used to having not played much of it domestically growing up or any of it for that matter. I really hope there’s more of it in the future,” she added.
