After the challenging T20 International (T20I) series, Proteas Women's captain Laura Wolvaardt believes her team is determined to bounce back with a resounding performance in the first ICC Women's Championship (2022-25) One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka in East London.
The first of three day-night ODI encounters begins on Tuesday, 09 April at 14h00 at the Buffalo Park Stadium. Tickets can be purchased from TicketPro or at the stadium for R25. The event will also be broadcast live on SuperSport Grandstand (Channel 201).
During the pre-match press conference on Monday, Wolvaardt stated that the team is prepared to shift their focus to the upcoming ODI series following their loss in the T20Is against Sri Lanka:
“Not the way we wanted to end the series, but we've had a good couple of days just to refocus, to talk about what we want to achieve in the ODI series and we're all good to go tomorrow.”
Similarly to the T20I record between the two sides, South Africa has dominated Sri Lanka in head-to-head battles, winning 14 of the previous 20 encounters, with two No Results and four wins for Sri Lanka.
In the current ICC Women's Championship (2022-25) points table, which is part of the qualification pathway for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India, the Proteas Women are in second place with 20 points. They have earned 10 wins out of 15 matches. Sri Lanka is third from the bottom with 11 points from 15 games.
Although South Africa is in a favourable position in the ICC Women's Championship standings, Wolvaardt emphasized the importance of securing points in every match.
One-Day International Series - ICC Women’s Championship:
Tuesday, 09 April @ 14h00
1st ODI - South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Buffalo Park, East London)
Saturday, 13 April @ 14h00
2nd ODI - South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Diamond Oval, Kimberley)
Wednesday, 17 April @ 14h00
3rd ODI - South Africa vs Sri Lanka (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)