Cricket’s lesser spotted test comes to Bloemfontein

Cricket's lesser spotted test comes to Bloemfontein

Laura Wolvaardt and Heather Knight are set to lead their teams in the first women's Test in South Africa in over 22 years. Both players have a limited experience in the longest format, with Wolvaardt playing only three Tests and Knight, twelve.

Wolvaardt, who has played 184 internationals, has played most of her cricket in white-ball formats. She has played 426 games of cricket, but none of them have been first-class fixtures because domestic red-ball cricket for women does not exist in South Africa. Knight, on the other hand, has played a dozen Tests, but those are also her only first-class caps.

Both captains have found it challenging to switch from white-ball to red-ball cricket, with only two days of training before the Test. Wolvaardt mentioned that it's more of a mental thing and that it's difficult to not unload their reactions in a day or two.

Wolvaardt expressed her excitement about playing the purest form of the game and would love to have more of it in the calendar. Knight concurred and mentioned that she loves playing red-ball cricket and that it's a really pure format of the game. She also expressed her desire to see some domestic red-ball cricket for women.

The English differ from their opponents in how they have readied themselves for the challenge of playing a Test. They have tried to incorporate the odd red-ball session to practise the skills and mindset of red-ball cricket.

Despite playing more Tests than Wolvaardt, Knight still thinks of herself as a beginner in the format. She mentioned that the biggest challenge is being able to flip between the formats and being okay sometimes with not scoring and having to soak up pressure for longer.

Even though both captains have limited experience in Test cricket, they are excited about the opportunity to play the longest format of the game.