Wolvaardt takes over the from Suné Luus in an interim basis and will be in the role for the tour to Pakistan and the incoming tour of New Zealand.

Following the tour by New Zealand her position as captain will be reviewed. This comes as the Chloe Tryon is not available for the tour to the subcontinent.

Wolvaardt said being named in the leadership role is a massive honour and she is prepared to contribute to the team in any way possible.

“It’s a massive honour to be offered this position as captain for the next two tours,” said Wolvaardt.

“It’s something that I have always aspired to do, having played in this team for a couple of years. Having more of a leadership role is something I’ve wanted to take on. It’ll help me as a cricketer and learning to think as a captain on the field will hopefully help my batting as well.  

“I’m very excited to be able to contribute in another way too, and not just in batting. It still feels surreal at the moment but it will all become more real when I meet up with the team in Pakistan.

“What I can bring to the role is the experience that I have in the side. I’ve been playing international cricket since I was 16 years old, I know quite a lot of players in the circuit and I’ve been playing in the leagues as well, so I’ve played a lot of cricket in recent years and hopefully, I’m able to use that experience and the knowledge to my advantage when I captain the team.

“I’d like to also think of myself as quite calm and level-headed and that’s probably more of the approach that I try to take on the field as a captain.

“It is very new to me but I am keen to learn and do everything that I can to do well in the position. I am lucky that I have a couple of senior players within the squad around me as well, who would be able to help me and guide me if I do need help along the way.”

The Proteas will depart for their tour to Pakistan on Saturday.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport