Laura Wolvaardt wins ICC Player of the Month for third time in 7 months

South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt named ICC Women's Player of the Month for April 2026, her third win in seven months. She was rewarded for her prolific batting in ODIs vs New Zealand and a dominant T20I series against India ahead of the T20 World Cup.

South Africa women's captain Laura Wolvaardt has been named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for April 2026 after a prolific run with the bat across ODI and T20I cricket. The 27-year-old Wolvaardt beat competition from Sri Lanka's Imesha Dulani and Brazil's Laura Cardoso to claim the honour, marking the third time she has received the award in the last seven months, following earlier wins in October and December 2025, ICC reported.

Dominant Batting Performance

The South African skipper enjoyed a dominant month, first scoring 138 runs in two ODIs against the New Zealand women's team at an average of 69.00 before carrying her form into a T20I series against the Indian team. Across five T20Is, Wolvaardt amassed 330 runs at an average of 82.50 and a strike rate of 168.36, registering one century and three half-centuries as South Africa secured a 4-1 series victory ahead of next month's ICC Women's T20 World Cup in England and Wales.

Standout Century Against India

Her standout innings came in the third T20I against India, when she blasted 115 off 53 deliveries in a successful chase of 192. The innings, her third T20I century, featured 14 fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 216.98 and powered South Africa to a nine-wicket win.

'Incredible to Win a Third Time'

"It feels incredible to win a third ICC Player of the Month award in such a short span of time, and I hope to continue batting with the same confidence and consistency," Wolvaardt told ICC.

"This has been one of the most enjoyable phases of my career, and it's especially satisfying to have achieved success across formats," she added.

"What makes this award even more special is that these performances came against the reigning World Cup and T20 World Cup champions, which is something I truly cherish. I'm grateful to my team-mates for their constant support, and I hope to carry this form into the ICC Women's T20 World Cup next month in England and Wales," she concluded. (ANI)

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