'Not my best': Proteas skipper out to end form slump

Laura Wolvaardt is confident she can put a string of low scores behind her as she prepares to captain South Africa in a Test for the first time, in just her second game in the format.

Wolvaardt is one of the world’s best batters but Australia had her measure during the three-game ODI leg of the multi-format series, dismissing the Proteas skipper for 4, 0 and 3.

That followed knocks of 15, 58no and 16 during the three T20Is.

They have been disappointing returns from the 24-year-old, who averages 44 in one-dayers and 34 in T20Is.

"Not my best series, but I’ve had a good couple of days now in the nets just hopefully fixing those small technical errors that have had me nicking off the whole time," Wolvaardt told reporters in Perth on Wednesday.

"Hopefully I'm able to bat a bit longer in the Test match."

Wolvaardt opened the batting alongside Andrie Steyn, who is not part of the current squad, in South Africa’s last Test against England in Taunton in mid-2022.

That was the Proteas’ first Test since 2014, and after a string of high-profile retirements across the last 18 months, they could be as many as six debutantes in their XI on Thursday.

Wolvaardt hit 16 in both innings of that game in Taunton, but she is adamant her technique is well-suited to the longest format.

"I think the conditions (in Australia) have been pretty challenging, it has been swinging around quite a bit in the ODI series, and it might do a bit more here," she continued.

"But at least I have more time to leave the ball and get in good positions, so hopefully I can just spend a bit of time out there and it just takes one or two shots and I'll be back."

Both teams had just two days to switch their focus to the red ball and train in Perth this week.

For Wolvaardt, that also included a deep dive into Test captaincy, as she prepares to make her leadership debut in the format.

"That's probably the hardest part, is having a crash course in the last few days," she said.

"Captaincy wise as well, just the fields and not having much domestic experience with red ball either makes it quite challenging.

"We had a Test match camp before this tour just to touch on the basics … hopefully the more we play the better we'll get at it."

Australia meanwhile remain justifiably wary of the talented right-hander.

Beth Mooney said there had been a degree of luck in a couple of her dismissals, which came as she went after wider deliveries only to pick out the point fielder.

"We know she's an amazing player and has been for a long time for South Africa, especially in ODI cricket," Mooney said.

"She'll have a lot more time to go out there at the WACA and once you get in out there it's a beautiful place to bat so she'll probably be eyeing that off I'd imagine.

"We'll have to come up with some pretty good plans to try nullify her.

"We do know that they possess some world class players in their line-up … for us, it's about making sure we nullify the impact that those players can have in Laura, Marizanne Kapp.

"If we can take them out of the game as early as possible and do our skills as well as we can, I think that the result will take care of itself."

Women's CommBank T20I Series v South Africa

First T20: Australia won by eight wickets

Second T20: South Africa won by six wickets

Third T20: Australia win by five wickets

Women's CommBank ODI Series v South Africa

First ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

February 7: South Africa won by 84 runs

February 10: Australia won by 110 runs (DLS method)

Women's CommBank Test Match v South Africa

February 15-18: Only Test, WACA Ground, Perth 11.00am

Australia Test squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

South Africa Test squad: Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Mieke de Ridder, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Chloé Tryon, Delmi Tucker