South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricket teams are embarking on a shared tour, beginning a T20I series against New Zealand in Tauranga.
This tour marks the first time both South African national teams will contest full away series side-by-side against the same opposition.
Wolvaardt’s Perspective on the Series
For Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt, the five-match series carries added importance with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon.
Wolvaardt stated, “It’s great. I think while we’re here, we might as well play a couple of extra games, especially with the World Cup right around the corner. That’s obviously the main focus, playing as much T20 cricket as we can.”
She added that the five games provide an opportunity to experiment: “Five games sort of give you the chance to try a few things as well. You have enough games to tweak a few things here or there. It’s a great initiative and hopefully we can win the series.”
Wolvaardt is also embracing the experience of touring alongside the men’s side. She said, “You sort of feel like one big team over here, sharing knowledge and chatting to them. And just seeing how they go about things is cool for me as well. It doesn’t happen a lot that you sort of tour side by side but I think it’ll be very cool cricket-wise as well to watch their game after ours.”
Maharaj Highlights Women’s Cricket Growth
Proteas Men’s stand-in captain Keshav Maharaj highlighted the growth of the women’s game and the value of sharing the stage. “Women’s cricket has come along in leaps and bounds, and it’s wonderful for them to have the stage as well,” said Maharaj.
Maharaj added, “They’ve played some amazing cricket and some very exciting cricket games that have gone down to the wire – It’s also exciting for us to be able to witness it live.”
Rivalry and Respect Between the Teams
Recent meetings between the two nations add further intrigue. The Proteas Women last faced the White Ferns in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 final. The men’s sides met in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. On both occasions, the Kiwis came out on top.
Maharaj commented on the rivalry: “It’s always been a wonderful rivalry. Good cricket played on the field, but there’s still that respect that’s between both sides.”
Maharaj added, “New Zealand are a really strong side, obviously coming off a really big high coming from India. But I think with the squad that we have, there’s a lot of energy within the environment being a lot younger. So hopefully it will be a good, strong series. And fingers crossed we come on top.”
While the tour provides exposure for several new faces in the men’s squad, Maharaj made it clear that development and results go hand-in-hand.