World-class Wolvaardt delivers 'something special' in World Cup final: 'I hope the IPL was watching'

If the Proteas had somehow found a way over the line in their T20 World Cup final against Australia at Newlands on Sunday, they would have had Laura Wolvaardt to thank. 

READ | Heroic Proteas fall short in World Cup final

After a gutsy display with bat and ball, South Africa ended 19 runs short of their target of 157 and a first-ever World Cup trophy. 

Wolvaardt was the star for the home side, crunching 61 (48) as she effectively carried the hopes of a nation on her shoulders. 

It was her third consecutive half-century of the competition following her 53 (44) against England in the semi-finals and 66* (56) against Bangladesh in the last group stages fixture. 

With scores of 18, 13 and 19 in her first three outings, Wolvaardt finished as the tournament's highest run-scorer with 230 from six innings, ahead of England's Nat Sciver-Brunt (216), Australian duo Beth Mooney (206) and Alyssa Healy (189), and Proteas teammate Tazmin Brits (186).

When the first-ever player auction for the 2023 Women's Indian Premier League (WPL) took place earlier this month, Wolwaardt was one of the surprise omissions, and Proteas captain Sune Luus says she hopes that Wolvaardt's showing at the business end of the World Cup will have franchise owners taking notice. 

"I hope the IPL, Big Bash and the Hundred were watching," said Luus on Sunday.

"That was something very special. You want your players to step up on the big occasions, and that's exactly what she did. She showed her class again today.

"At the age of 23, she's still very young. It's very exciting for us as a team to know that she's going to be here for the next 10 years. I'm so excited to be next to her and see her break all the records in the future."

Wolvaardt acknowledged her disappointment